


Galactica

by TheArtificialDane



Category: RuPaul's Drag Race RPF, The Devil Wears Prada (2006)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fashion & Models, F/F, F/M, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-03
Updated: 2018-09-12
Packaged: 2018-09-14 12:01:32
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 34
Words: 348,442
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9180625
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheArtificialDane/pseuds/TheArtificialDane
Summary: What if Miss Fame was Miranda Priestly, and Violet was her assistant? Featuring douche lesbian Pearl, Katya and Trixie in a hetero relationship, roommate of the year Max and dozens of other queens in unexpected roles. (IN PROGRESS)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello and welcome to Galactica.  
> This work is a collaboration between me and three other main authors, Samrull, Veronica and Toriibelledarling.
> 
> Come find me on tumblr (TheArtificialDane) if you want to talk, and if you want to see cool backstage things, snippets or just chat :)

“I need you to go the fabric district and get another 12 yards of that black velvet with the little beads.”

“Max has run out of lightbulbs, find some immediately and bring them here.”

“Please pick up the dry cleaning from last week’s shoot and bring it to the studio for reshoots before you go to lunch.”

“Call Patrick and confirm the time of my flight, then call the hotel, the driver and the restaurant as well. I don’t want anything to go wrong on our vacation. That’s all.”

Violet dumped down in her chair at her desk, her feet aching as she had run around all day, feeling like she had been all over Manhattan in her desperate race against time to fulfill Fame’s every need, and there were many.

She silently cursed her friend Pearl as she kicked off her shoes, her bare feet covered by the heavy desk she was seated at outside of Fame’s office, which made her take the chance of being barefooted at work. Violet turned around to her computer and began to check the emails that had ticked in while she was out getting coffee for everyone. There were close to twenty and she took a deep breath before she started replying. Her sore feet and aching back were Pearl’s fault indeed. Why is that you ask?

She and Pearl met in a club years ago and they had formed an unlikely friendship; so when Pearl had contacted her about a position opening up in the fashion house she was working at, Violet had jumped on it immediately.

All she had ever wanted to do was design, she had worked her ass off during almost endless internships, but this time, it felt like she was finally close to making a break. Working at Galactica was hard, working for Miss “The Brand” Fame was even harder as Fame was a perfectionist in everything she did. Everything had to be perfect, and she expected nothing less from her employees, running her company with a firm but loving hand. Everyone obeyed her, from Pearl who did their social media and marketing, to Max who was the resident photographer, to Trixie who was an amazing makeup artist and youth designer even if he was a little bold for Violet’s taste, not touching upon the fact of Trixie’s personal fashion sense at all, and Katya who Violet still hadn’t quite figured out. Some days the blond Russian was just there at the company, not really doing…anything as far as Violet could see, while she was completely absent on others days, no one commenting on the woman’s weird ways, so neither did Violet. On top of the core employees, there were other artists who worked there, from freelancers to the ones who did the heavy duty sewing as Fame wouldn’t outsource to a Third World country.

“Violet!”

Violet froze as Fame called her from inside her office, quickly checking her email and calendar to see if she had missed something, but no.  
Why was Fame calling her now?

“Violet!”

“I’m coming Miss!”

Violet quickly put on her shoes, checking her makeup in her computer screen before she grabbed her notebook; needing to remember everything that would be said to her, making her way into Fame’s office.

“I’m here.”

Fame looked up from the polaroids of the models for their upcoming collection.

“How do you like it here at Galactica Violet, you’ve been here for almost a year now, right?”

Fame stretched a little and Violet felt her mouth go dry before she nodded. Fame always looked perfect, her bright tattoos never once taking anyway from the classic beauty and competence the other woman always managed to exude. Today Fame’s golden hair was styled in soft waves she so favoured, and if it made Violet keep her thighs closer together, well, that was her business.

“Yes Miss, and I love it here.”

Fame smiled, now actually paying attention to Violet, polaroids momentarily forgotten.

“I have noticed and so had everyone else. You work very hard, which is something I appreciate. I’d like for you to move into the apartment.”

“The apartment?”

“Yes, the apartment. Do you want to or not?”

“I-I don’t know what that is, Miss.”

Fame sighed, Violet immediately recognizing it as disappointment.

“I was sure I asked, oh well, nevermind. Hasn’t anyone told you?”

Violet gently shook her head, worried how she would do her job as Fame’s assistant if she was not physically near the other. Fame had gone back to the polaroids, having clearly been distracted since the conversation with Violet was taking so long.

“I want you to move into the apartment I have on Upper East Side. It’s where all my most promising talent lives. I believe it’s better for all of you to have constant access to each other, helps your creativity. A room has recently opened up as Trixie and Katya have chosen to share, and I want you to have that room.”

“I-I’m not sure I understand Miss, I’m just an assistant.”

Fame looked up. “Oh, no darling, you will not just be an assistant anymore, I’m hiring you full time as the supporting lead designer for our autumn collection. Or are you not interested in the position?”

“What?!” Violet quickly covered her mouth, red now blossoming on her cheeks.

“Pearl kept insisting that I should look at your portfolio, and after how well you did with the Atlanta case I thought it would be fair to reward you and take a look. I liked what I saw Violet, you clearly have talent and an eye for fashion that is far beyond your years. I always knew I would give you a better position within the company if you proved yourself to me, and you have. I saw from your papers when I hired you that you graduated from Parsons which is not easy on its own. I want you to work directly beneath me for the autumn collection. It will be hard, I expect you to be able to handle training my new assistant and doing your job at once. You know how much I hate incompetence, and nothing is worse than a blubbering fool who doesn’t know how to order coffee.”

Fame looked at Violet, who felt like she was frozen to the ground. This was her dreams coming true right before her eyes.

“So, do you want the position?”

A teasing smile decorated Fame’s lips.

“Trust me Miss, there is nothing I want to do more.”

***

“Hurry up! We don’t have all day!”

“Yes Miss, sorry Miss.”

The sound of Violet’s and Fame’s heels clicked rhythmically against the floor in the hallway as they walked, Violet carrying both her own bag and all of Fame’s stuff, as Fame was absentmindedly checking her phone.

“This is us.” Fame stopped and pocketed her phone before knocking on the blue door in front of her. Violet looked around, the hallway alone was fancier than her entire building put together.

The door opened, and Violet was looking right at the bare chest of Max from photography. Max was a close to impossible tall man with silver hair that always rested in perfect curls on top of his head. Max smiled a smile that made his entire face light up, stepping aside immediately to make room for Fame.

“I didn’t know you would be coming over today Miss, it is a Sunday after all.”

Fame smiled, gently resting a hand on Max’s arm before she let him help her out of her coat, dumping her keys and phone in the small bowl by the door where Violet could spot no less than four other pairs of keys.

“This is Violet, please take her stuff and put it somewhere, then make us some coffee. Has Trixie arrived yet?”

Max nodded as he quickly took Violet’s stuff, putting everything in the closet as Fame gestured for Violet to come with her.

“This is the wardrobe, I’m storing a few of my coats here but do not think about borrowing them without asking.”

Violet nodded quickly, the thought absurd to her even if she was insanely jealous of all the soft furs Fame owned. Sometimes, when she had the chance, she would bury her face in one of Fame’s coats at work, just for a few seconds before she hung it up.

“Over here we have the first bathroom, primarily used by the corresponding bedrooms, please refrain from entering Katya’s craft room as it often gets very messy in there and I don’t like glitter stains on my carpets.”

The knot in Violet’s stomach tightened and tightened as Fame showed her around; the apartment was massive, huge windows and tons of light bathing the cream-colored rooms which were filled with art and what Violet once in awhile recognized as Scandinavian design. She knew for a fact that she had seen two Arne Jacobsen chairs in the living room, and those were easily worth more then what Violet made in a year. Even with the raise from her job switch, there was no way she could afford this apartment and pay off her student loans.

Violet was just about to collect all her courage to tell Fame she couldn’t live in the apartment, when Pearl stepped out of one of the bedrooms, dressed in a loose tank top and a pair of sleep shorts, her long blond hair falling carelessly down her back as she scratched her stomach, clearly still wearing last night’s makeup.

“Pearl, what are you doing he-” Violet only just stopped herself before Fame walked up to Pearl, a disapproving look on her face.

“Tsk.” Fame grabbed Pearl’s hand, turning her face from side to side. “Sloppy. You know how I feel about this mistreatment of your skin.” Fame dropped her hand, Violet immediately handing Fame a tissue as Fame wiped her hand off before giving it back to Violet, the exchange taking less than 10 seconds.

“Go take a shower, you smell like an illegal teen party.”

Pearl smiled brightly, clearly not bothered by Fame’s rudeness at all. “It’s because I’ve been to one, out in Brooklyn! Wait until you see the pictures I got of the partygoers wearing Trixie’s latest print, it was all over. This will give us content for months!” Pearl’s hand disappeared into her pocket, looking for her phone but coming up short.

“An illegal party?” Fame bit her lips, thinking now, the annoyance almost gone from her face. “Print them, and we’ll discuss it on Thursday when Patrick returns from Vancouver. Violet, please take notes, and Pearl, off to the shower. I expect you to be nothing less but spotless within the next 20 minutes. I want us all to have tea together before I leave.

Pearl nodded and made a mock salute. “Yes Miss! Will do Miss, your wish is my command Miss!” Pearl laughed as Fame wrinkled her nose in distaste, winking to Violet and giving Pearl’s ass a slap before she made her way to the shower.

Violet felt more and more confused. How many people lived here? So far she had seen Max and Pearl here, but Fame had also mentioned Trixie and Katya. Did Fame live here as well? No, no, of course she didn’t. Violet had been to Fame’s townhouse several times in her year as an assistant.

Fame showed Violet the rest of the apartment, until they finally stepped into a completely empty room.

“And this will be your room.” Fame looked at Violet, a gentle smile on her lips. “I’m having a carpenter and a painter coming over tomorrow. Trixie left the most horrible handprints on the walls of her wardrobe since she likes to paint when she design. If you have any wishes for the color scheme in here send it to me by email for consideration before tomorrow, but know that I prefer soft cream and that any neon will not be allowed.”

Violet quickly shook her head. “No, cream will be fine, but Miss-”

“Good” Fame interrupted. “I so hate the American trend of brightly colored walls, but this will be your space. You can come in here and measure for your furniture after I have left, I’m sure either Max or Trixie would be more than happy to help.”

“Miss, I have to tell yo-”

Violet was interrupted, once again, this time by Max who called from the kitchen that the tea was ready. Fame smiled at Violet. “Come, you can tell me in the kitchen, everyone is so excited to meet you.”

“No, Miss, I-”

But Fame had already grabbed Violet’s arm, dragging her off towards the kitchen.

***

What met Violet in the kitchen, was not what she understood as tea at all. For her tea was something you made in the microwave when you didn’t have coffee and were desperate. The spread in front of her was something entirely different. There was cut-up fruit, small cakes which she recognized as scones, cream and sandwiches all carefully laid out by smiling Max who held the chair for both Violet and Fame as they sat down. Max gently asked Violet what tea she preferred as he served Fame, to which she just shrugged.

“Don’t worry, I’ll find the perfect one for you.” Max smiled and moved to the cupboard while Fame had started to sip her drink, impatiently tapping her foot. Trixie was the first one to show up, his hair a mess and deep circles underneath his eyes as he had clearly been up all night. Fame moved a little so Trixie could sit down beside her. “How is the collection going?”

“Don’t even ask, my machine broke and it ate most of my prototype so I’ve been remaking it all night on Katya’s shitty theatre machine.”

“Poor darling.” Fame smiled and gently ran her hand through Trixie’s hair, combing it down. “We’ll get a new one for you, I’ll have it delivered in no time.”

Trixie smiled at Fame, murmuring a “Thank you Miss,” before digging into the meal. Violet quickly made a note on her block, knowing that Fame would expect her to get the machine fixed.

The next one to arrive was Pearl, her hair put into a bun as it was still slightly damp from her shower. Pearl stood in front of Fame, a teasing smile on her lips as Fame watched her face.

“Acceptable, now sit down and eat.”

Pearl laughed and nodded before taking her seat at the table. In the meantime Max had placed a steaming cup of apple tea at Violet’s side which she gently sipped. It was just the right amount of sweet, and Violet couldn’t help but smile in gratitude at Max who returned it without any form of guard.

The last to arrive was Katya, who had glitter, pens and pencils all stuck in her hair. “Sorry, sorry! I’m here!” Katya quickly sat down, emptying the pockets of her dress which were filled with everything from small plastic cars to pipe cleaners to what Violet hoped was a fake frog and several brightly coloured cotton balls. The frog slid down from the table, making a sad, squeaky sound which made Katya giggle uncontrollably, slapping Trixie’s knee with an open palm. After she caught sight of Fame’s gaze, she stopped, gesturing that her lips are now sealed.

Fame sighed in exasperation, but didn’t otherwise comment, which Violet found very strange.

“Now that everyone is here, I’d like to introduce your future roommates, Violet. This is Max Malaphany, Pearl Liaison, Katya Zamolodchikova and Brian Firkus, or Trixie as we all prefer.”

Everyone smiled, saying ‘Hi Violet’ in a tone of voice that mostly made Violet think of an AA meeting.

“You will move in as soon as you possibly can. You will have the upcoming Wednesday off from work, so please inform me if that is not good for you. My movers will be at your apartment at 8:05 sharp, courtesy of Patrick’s assistant, so I’m expecting you to be ready there.”

“But I can’t-”

“Is Wednesday too soon? Friday can also work.”

“Miss, I-”

“You drive a hard bargain. Sunday at the latest then. I want you to be ready to work on Monday, so I would really like this whole thing to be done sooner rather than later-”

“Miss, I can’t afford to live here!” Violet quickly covered her mouth, shame making her cheeks go beet red as she wanted to crawl into a hole and die. She had interrupted Fame, and refused her offer. She had never felt so embarrassed, but then, Fame just smiled.

“Oh, you sillybilly. Of course you’re not going to pay to live here, all expenses will be taken care of, so you can concentrate on your art. No one here pays rent.”

***

If anyone had asked Max, straight out of school, where he saw himself in five years, there was no way the tall and awkward boy would have been able to guess his future.

Max had graduated from London School of photography in the middle of his class, but it wasn’t something he felt particularly bad about. Someone had to be average after all and it just so happened that the average one was him.

Max had dreamed about being a wildlife photographer, which was also why he had moved to America almost right after his graduation. He loved taking pictures of less appreciated animals, like lizards and snakes as well as rabbits, owls and cats which he found deeply fascinating. Any photographer had to be quick to catch them at just the right time, so it wasn’t something anyone could do, but there was very little money in it. As a way to make money, Max had started building a street snap portfolio which was how Pearl had discovered him.

Max loved any and all things black, wild and nature, and his portfolio quickly filled up with what could only be described as strega fashion. Pearl had accidentally stumbled upon his photographs, all taken in Los Angeles, in her hunt for a potential face for Trixie’s newest works, when she had found Max’s portfolio. The girls and men in the pictures weren’t particularly attractive, not in the way Pearl’s eyes were used to. She was normally bombarded with model after model who, when you cut to the chase, all looked exactly the same which could not be said for the people in Max’s pictures.

Pearl had send Max an e-mail and a tweet right away, pleasantly surprised and amused when she saw that Max didn’t even call himself a fashion photographer and from there everything had been set in motion.

Max moved to New York where he dyed his blonde hair a sharp grey after a suggestion from Fame and got a new haircut. Max Willams was officially dead, as Max Malaphany rose from his ashes.

***

“I’m fine! Honestly! Don’t worry about me.”

Max laughed at Violet’s tone as he sat down with the box in his hands. It was one of the last ones of the day as the movers has just gone home after the hours it had taken to move Violet’s things. Just as expected, the raven-haired girl owned next to no furniture. There was a beaten dresser which Max was certain came from Craigslist, an armchair that could’ve only come from a flea market and an Ikea bed with no bed frame. What there was more than enough of though, were the piles upon piles and boxes upon boxes of clothing, shoes, jewelry and even wigs.

“You have worked all day Violet, let me get you a bottle of water and some fo-”

“Careful!” Max snapped to attention at the distress in Violet’s voice. He looked down and saw that he had almost knocked down a tower of boxes and a garment bag.

Violet quickly rushed to his side, opening the bag to check inside and Max caught a glimpse of tan fabric and jewels.

“What’s that?” Max smiled, hoping his voice wasn’t threatening to Violet, who in many ways reminded him of the baby rabbits he used to photograph. He had seen Violet acting as Fame’s assistant, the slim girl almost scarily competent sometimes, a constant shadow that kept Fame happy, fulfilling the other’s every command, sometimes before it was even said and he only now realized how big the difference between Violet’s private and public persona was.

“It’s my graduation project.” Violet replied, a gentle smile on her lips, almost a little shy.

“Do you want to see it?”

“I’d love to!” Max was genuinely intrigued. Pearl had come home shortly after Fame had hired Violet, ranting about how stubborn and self-centered Fame was since she had refused to look at Violet’s portfolio right away until after she had “proven” herself. Pearl had complained to everyone who would listen with a scowl on her face, as she and Trixie shared an after work beer together in their kitchen while Max cooked dinner.

To say Max was curious about Violet’s talents would be an understatement.

Violet opened the garment bag, carefully pulling out a dress that was dripping in jewels to put in mildly. Violet held the dress up. “I tried going for a neo-Victorian style, inspired by, well…, my name.” Violet laughed. “Our professor’s only instructions were to be true to yourself, so it felt only natural to primarily use violet.”

“So you used amethysts?”

“No, unfortunately not, that would’ve been too expensive, since I’ve covered most of the gown. Look.” Violet held up the skirt with a smile on her face. “It’s actually only rhinestones and a few prisms but I’ve hand sewn each and every one of them myself!”

Max almost gasped, the dress had to have taken days if not weeks to make. He could only imagine Violet, working long into the night after everyone had gone home, on finishing her product.

“The shoulders and the hips are made with a European boning technique and then I covered the entirety of that in satin, to make sure it would look good to the casual watcher.”

Violet smiled again, a fondness in her face as she carefully stored the garment back into the bag.

“It was this dress that got me my first internship, so I sometimes think of it as my crowning dress, I felt like a queen when I presented it…Or, I-I mean! That’s obviously dumb,” Violet blushed, clearly embarrassed.

“You may be the king,” Max smiled, “but watch the queen conquer.”

“… did you just quote Nicki Minaj?”

“What if I did?”

The two of them looked into each other’s eyes before they burst out in laughter, the slight awkwardness from earlier completely forgotten, the two of them afterwards working well into the afternoon unpacking Violet’s things.

***  
  
Violet was on her way to her new room from the kitchen, her takeaway salad firmly in her hand. Max had had to leave since he was going out to Kraine theatre with his friend Jinkx to watch a show.

Violet’s entire body was sore after the day of moving, but it wasn’t unpleasant. She knew that a good chunk of her next few paychecks would go towards new furniture, but if Fame wasn’t lying and she didn’t have to pay for anything but her food, her small assistant salary was suddenly a whole other ballgame. Even more if Fame had been serious about bringing Violet on as supporting lead designer for the fall collection for Galactica. The company was close to gigantic, but working on their main collection, even as a support, would open a million and one doors for Violet in her quest to start her own brand.

“Hey Vi!”

Violet turned around, surprised. She hadn’t noticed Pearl at first, who was sitting cross-legged on the white sofa with her laptop on her knees, a beer on the table in front of her as she was eating a sandwich.

“What are you watching?” Violet smiled as she walked over to Pearl, leaning against the back of the couch. She could faintly smell a sweet scent of coconut coming from Pearl’s hair which has been lazily collected into a bun on top of her head.

“It’s Givenchy’s ready-to-wear fall catwalk from last season’s New York Fashion Week, I’m doing a piece for our website about the transformation of European fashion to America.”

Violet nodded. She knew of Givenchy, but had never really followed the Italian designer since the style and materials where a little too dark for her personal taste.

“I’m looking at what trend made it through to the everyday consumer, but it’s such a hassle. I mean, there isn’t really anything new and exciting to say about the 2015 collections, so I’m delegating that task to one of the interns in my department. They will feel like they’re getting the chance of a lifetime, and I won’t have to do a boring job.” Pearl sighed and took a sip of her beer, half her sandwich forgotten on the table as Violet crawled over the back of the couch to take a seat next to Pearl. “I still need to go through all of my external hard drives to look for photos though, and there are like, thousands of pictures.”

“Are you really working with the everyday consumer?” Violet smiled, teasingly as she opened her salad and began to eat. “Or do you mean the everyday New Yorker?”

“’Everyday New Yorker’ of course, the common American is hopeless.” Pearl laughed, moving a little so Violet could see her screen easier, one of her arms over the back of the couch, her hand lazily playing with a strand of Violet’s long hair. “Remember how I did that year in Paris as a model?”

“Mmh.”

“Well, ever since I want to stab my eyes out whenever I see sweatpants in public. It’s so… disgusting.”

Violet laughed, completely agreeing. She has not lived in Atlanta for years and years, but whenever she went back, it felt like all of her creativity was drained by the horribly outdated sense of fashion she saw everywhere. Her cousin had worn UGG boots for Thanksgiving last year, and Violet had been close to burning them for the good of her entire family.

“Good thing you work at Galactica then.” Violet smiled, leaning a little into Pearl.

“Mmh, sometimes Fortuna does smiles upon you.”

At Pearl’s reference to the Roman goddess of luck, Violet barked out a laugh. “Oh my God, you pretentious whore.”

“It’s not pretentious if I know what I’m talking about bitch!” Pearl laughed as well, drinking more of her beer before she grabbed her computer to make sure their laughter wouldn’t make it fall. “Pretentious would be me taking out my septum piercing since everyone seems to be getting one.” Pearl smiled and pointed at the screen. “Look.”

Violet moved a little closer to the screen, focusing on the things Pearl was pointing out.

“The septum is seriously winning favor’s, it first appeared on the runways in 2013, which is forever ago, I know, but look at that front row.” Pearl pointed. “See, there, on the new manager for the buyer’s department of Asos, and there we have it again, it’s on the assistant but still - Hey, look, there’s Bianca.” Pearl smiled at Violet. “You should totally meet her someday, I’ll introduce you, promise. She’s the editor in chief for Marie Claire. Anyone who calls Fame an ice queen has never met Bianca Del Rio, that’s for sure. She’s super private but scarily competent.”

Violet nodded. She had seen a picture of Bianca before. Bianca was a lot like Iris Apfel, but instead of huge glasses, Bianca’s signature look was an almost scary heavy makeup that made her look ready to murder anyone who crossed her.

The show ended with the designer joining their models on stage, and Pearl’s screen went black. Violet chewed her lip a little; she didn’t really want to go back into her room but she also didn’t feel like she had an excuse to continue hanging out with Pearl.

“Hey, there’s champagne in the fridge and I still have like… five shows I have to watch before I can call it quits for today. Do you want to join me?”

Violet nodded, excitement collecting in her belly at the prospect of spending the night with Pearl.

“Do you want to see the J.W Andersen or Erdem runway first?”

“Erdem of course. I’m not an idiot.”

***

Violet’s heels went clack, clack, clack as she almost runs down the corridor towards the design department of Galactica. One of their newer employees, brought on to help with their spring collection has not shown up for her run through with Fame, and Fame was furious.

The spring collection would be shown at New York Fashion week in just under two months, so time was one of the last things they had.

Violet turned the corner, opening the door with such a rush that the entire department froze in place.

“Where the fuck is the untalented slutbag known as Gia Gunn?”

Everyone went completely quiet until Gia raised her hand from the back of the room, her hands on a clothing rack ready to leave the room.

“You were supposed to be in Fame’s office 10 minutes ago,” Violet stepped towards Gia who took a step back. “And you are here, which means I have had to deal with both her and Raja being impatient and pissed off. Do you know how much that sucks?” Violet was towering over Gia, making sure that the other one knew exactly how angry she was.

“I almost burned myself getting them their coffee since the schedule was moved, just because you’re a lazy, no good, no-show who can’t follow incredibly easy instructions like being somewhere on time.”

“Violet I’m so sorry, I completely missed the time, I swear I didn’t mean to, I’m just so hung over from yeste-”

Violet made a ‘zip it’ gesture with her hand. “I don’t care about how or why you are so dumb that you do not understand the simple concept of time. Now go, run right now if you want to have any chance at not getting fired.”

“Do you think she’s going to fire me?!”

“I don’t know, she’s not happy, now hurry up!”

Gia disappeared along with her clothing rack, almost in tears already, which normally would have made Violet feel bad, but right now all that was inside of her was anger. She felt hot and disgusting and she was sure her eyeliner had run after her sprint to the nearest Starbucks earlier. She couldn’t believe she was wearing Sezane and almost sweating. Gia’s fuck-up meant that Fame would be behind on her schedule all day and therefore in a terrible mood which Violet would have to deal with, on top of finding a new assistant for Fame that could take her place.

The department had gone back to work, none of them seemingly caring about the slap-down Gia had just received, no one paying attention to Violet now that she was no longer shouting.

Violet looked at the clock. Gia would have to take the long way around to Fame since she was bringing a clothing rack while Violet could take a shortcut through Laganja’s office. The shortcut meant that Violet now had the chance to take a small break of about five minutes before she had to be back to watch Fame tear Gia apart and take notes about the run through.

Violet felt something cold press against her cheek, and she almost jumped. It was Katya, with an ice cold water bottle which Violet immediately took.

“Thank you…” Violet looked around at everyone, but she caught a few smiles which meant that she hadn’t fucked up too bad, even if she was still ready to tear Gia’s hair out.

“You’re welcome, we’re roomies now.” Katya smiled, gently petting Violet’s arm, the two of them sitting down at an unoccupied table. “And I’ve been where you are now, I was Fame’s assistant for almost six months so I know how she gets, even if it’s not your fault at all.”

“Really?”

“Mmh.”

Violet smiled as Katya opened the bag she was carrying over her shoulder, handing Violet a Dior eyeliner in jet black and a hand-held mirror, which gave her another two minutes before she had to report back for duty.

“Thank you… I’ve actually been meaning to ask…what do you do at the company Katya?”

“Oh, I don’t work here!”

“Well, then why are you here?”

Katya laughed, taking the mirror from Violet and holding it so Violet could correct her liner.

“I’m here to see Trixie, our schedules don’t always match up that well and with the spring collection work starting to pick up I thought it would be as good an opportunity as any to use my Saturday to see my boo.”

Katya laughed again, and so did Violet. There was something amazing about the Russian’s laugh that just made everyone around her feel happy.

“So where do you work? Manhattan?”

“Oh, no no. I work in Brooklyn, in Vinegar Hill actually! I’m a preschool teacher.”

To Violet, that explained so much about Katya, most of all her dress sense. Right now Katya was wearing a blue and white polka-dot dress with little cloud buttons and a white cardigan, which was not a type of outfit Violet had seen since she had gone to middle school.

“Really? But isn’t that like…a really bad neighborhood?”

“Oh yes! The tires of my car were stolen like two weeks ago. We have the highest rate of crime in all of New York, why do you ask?”

“But, if it’s so dangerous, why do you work there?” Violet gave Katya her eyeliner back with another small thank you. “How did you go from Galactica to children’s care?”

“Because I want to help the kids. It’s not their fault that their parents are victims of their circumstances. I mean, I could probably work in a private school, but I’d much rather spend my time actually making a difference in a kid’s life then play into a stuck up inbred class system…There’s more than enough of that in Russia where I grew up.”

Violet tried to hide her surprise, she hadn’t known that Katya had lived anywhere else but America.

“So you’re actually Russian? Like, Russian Russian?”

Katya laughed.

“Vy nemoy gorl.” Violet didn’t understand Katya’s words, but her eyes where warm, which Violet took as a good thing. “I lived in Moscow until I was 5.”

“Wow, you can’t hear that in your accent at all!”

Katya nodded, her expression now slightly sad.

“No, I know. My dad is an ambassador so I had a whole army of tutors who helped me and my siblings turn into Americans… I was actually heading for a career in fashion, a family friend had gotten me an internship here and then… Well… Then I decided that I didn’t want this life.”

Violet could feel that Katya wasn’t telling the whole story, but it wasn’t her right to pry.

“So you just decided to quit everything and go from an editor in chief’s assistant to a preschool teacher in Brooklyn?”

Katya laughed “It sounds crazy, but pretty much!”

Violet looked at the clock, almost choking on her water. “Shit, I have to run! Thank you for listening and for the eyeliner.”

“No problem. As I said, we’re roomies now.”

Violet smiled, giving Katya a quick hug before she ran off to face the wrath of Fame.

***

Violet was sitting on the couch, staring blankly at the TV screen, with her biggest hoodie swallowing her up, giant fuzzy socks on her feet and a bowl of half eaten mashes potatoes in her hand.

“What are you watching?”

Violet jumped, automatically hiding her potato bowl underneath the table.

“Nothing! Nothing!”

“Are you sure?” Trixie smiled as he leaned over the back of the couch. “Because it looks like comfort food and ‘Say Yes to the Dress’. Girl I know it’s a Friday but I would never have picked you as the type.”

“Don’t ever tell anyone about this. I will murder you with my bare hands.” Violet looked at Trixie, a good mix of murderous intentions and shame on her face.

Trixie laughed. “After you completely destroyed Gia today I’m taking that threat seriously.” He was wearing a Hawaiian shirt and what Violet was pretty sure was Lycra leggings in neon pink.

“I don’t wanna talk about it…” Violet tightened her hoodie a little, covering herself even more.

“Hey, don’t feel bad. I get it, both Fame and Raja were pissed. I haven’t seen Fame that angry since you did that thing with her vacation, and when she realized Gia had forgotten most of the accessories? I could practically feel the ice all the way down in design, and you had to be right in the middle of it all day.”

At Trixie’s words, Violet picked up her bowl, shoving its contents into her mouth until she made eye contact with Trixie. Violet swallowed. What previously tasted like delicious buttery mashed potatoes now felt like dirt going down her throat.

“Hey, don’t feel bad about eating in front of me. I don’t understand all that crap about models having to be super skinny. If Raja would let me, I would use actual plus size models for all my campaigns instead of the size 6s they keep sending me.”

Violet smiled a little, Trixie’s company surprisingly helping her mood. “I’m sorry… I don’t feel too good about eating in front of others, and after starting at Galactica it has become even worse. I can practically feel Fame’s eyes down my neck whenever I have something that has even the least bit of texture in it. I hate eating in front of her.”

“Well, you better break that habit.”

“Why?”

“Because Fame joins us for Sunday dinner on the first week of each month.”

“What?!”

***

The sun was just rising outside as Fame opened the front door of the Galactica floor. It was dark inside, but some days Fame preferred it like that. To arrive while everyone else was still asleep or saying goodbye to their loved ones. There was certain peace in the quiet of the office in the morning, and Fame desperately needed the peace. She walked down the corridor, picking up a few fabrics and accessories that her employees left at the clothing racks outside of their offices.

What she had seen of their own collection yesterday was not good enough, not good enough at all. The colours and textures were wrong, as well as the cuts of almost everything. She didn’t personally get involved with the nitty gritty of design anymore, but for this spring collection she felt like she had no other choice. She had sent text after text to Violet over the weekend, and e-mail upon e-mail since something had to be done about it; nothing less but perfection was acceptable from Galactica.

Fame turned the corner and stopped when she saw that the light was on in her personal office and the front office where Violet resided. Violet was sitting at her desk, a cup of double espresso in front of her as well as her first round of Fame’s morning drink, which was a no foam hot soy latte. Fame smiled a little at that. Violet was nibbling on an apple, her feet tucked underneath her as she was writing e-mails and calling people. Before Fame knew it, she had spent close to five minutes just looking at Violet doing her job at 6 am on a Monday morning, looking like she had been there for a while.

Violet looked up, almost dropping her coffee when she saw Fame standing in the door. She jumped up from her chair, not even thinking about the fact that she was wearing sneakers with her couture dress.

“Miss! Good morning.” Violet quickly gathered the stuff from her desk before she realized that Fame had a bunch of different things in her hands, which Violet quickly walked over to take. Violet couldn’t remember the last time she had seen Fame carrying anything herself.

“I’m so sorry Miss, I didn’t realize you would be here this early. Your porter didn’t call.”

Fame smiled, which made Violet stop a little. “Have you taken care of the messages I left you over the weekend?”

“I’m almost done Miss, I just need to confirm wit-”

“Good. Have you ordered the new fabrics I talked about?”

“They are on their wa-”

“And what about my new assistant?”

“I’ve talked to Estelle about finding some candidates for later this week.”

“Good, I expect you to pre-interview each and every one of them before I see them. Remember, only perfection is accepted.” Fame smiled again, and Violet nodded.

Fame was in a weird mood today and it made Violet feel a little on edge. Fame’s words and actions where as harsh as they had always been, but the little smile changed everything between them.

“I’d like a new latte and a medium fruit salad, no pineapple, within the next twenty minutes and the bulletin for today, also, sort this and get me a meeting with Pearl before ten. If she is not here yet, make her get here and then get a car, yourself and Raja ready for a meeting with our tailors. I need a time schedule. That’s all.”

“Yes Miss, will do.”

Only afterwards did Violet realize she had worn her Undercover sneakers instead of her Charlotte Olympia pumps.

***

Pearl had just settled into her chair, ready to see if anything exciting had happened on Twitter while she had been by the design department to give Trixie his lunch. It wasn’t something she normally did, but Katya had been near heartbroken when she saw that Trixie had forgotten the lunchbox she had made him that morning, and since Pearl was a pretty damn good roommate in her own opinion, she had volunteered to deliver it. Katya had given her a kiss and a hug as thanks before she hurried out the door, two tote bags and canvas under both arms.

A polite cough came from the door just as Pearl was catching up on Olivier Rousteing’s Instagram. She turned around and came face to face with Violet.

Pearl smiled; it was always a joy to see Violet, the other always a sight for sore eyes with her almost impeccable beauty. Today she was wearing a beautiful shirt dress in white and red.

“Is that Gucci?”

“Of course it’s Gucci. You’re late.”

“I am?” Pearl smiled, a teasing glint in her eyes which made Violet crinkle her nose.

“Fame wants you in her office in 10 to discuss the changes in the collection.”

“So I’m not actually late?” Pearl turned around to her iMac, seeing that the small email icon on her process line was blinking red. Pearl smiled then; she knew Violet had just saved her from Fame’s disappointment, but there was no way she was going to let the other know of her gratitude. It was too early in the game for that. Pearl pressed print, her presentation slowly emerging from the printer.

“How many times do I have to tell you Violet, if you want my attention, tweet me.” Pearl laughed inwardly as Violet’s huff was the exact reaction she was expecting.

Violet slammed a thick folder down on Pearl’s table. “Here, there are the newest fabric suggestions and inspirations. Sorry for helping you.”

Pearl turned around, grabbing Violet’s wrist, giving her hand a kiss. Violet blushed, quickly removing her hand from Pearls grasp.

“I’ll see you in 10.”

“We’ll see if you’ll see me.” Violet freed her wrist, quickly leaving Pearl’s office. Pearl leaned back in her chair, watching Violet leave. The other was quite a mystery to her, but the harder the chase, the better the reward.

***

Violet was sitting at her desk, making sure that the nail polish samples from the makeup department actually matched what Fame had requested for approval when Alyssa came into the office with two big black portfolios in her hand.

Violet smiled when she saw Alyssa. Alyssa, the marketing director, was one of her favorite people within the company.

“Good morning Alyssa. What brings you here? You’re not on the bulletin. Fame is busy right now.”

“I know gurl, I know, but I need a favour.”

“From me?”

Alyssa nodded. “I need Fame to approve these for the European flagship store so I can get it there before they go home for the day.”

“Alyssa... I don’t know if I can do that... Fame is really booked today.”

“Please, for me, you know I always have your back. Remember when you first started here and I covered for you all the time?”

“Okay, okay!” Violet laughed before she shushed both of them. Fame never took lightly to being interrupted.

“Give them to me and I’ll squeeze it in before she leaves for today.”

“Thank you babygirl, you’re the best.”

Violet smiled as she waved Alyssa out of the office before she stored the nail polish samples underneath her desk. Alaska could wait a few hours for her feedback.

***

Sitting in a car with both Raja and Fame was always an experience. Violet never said anything unless spoken to directly, but it was times like these that she really saw the magic that happened behind the scenes.

Raja was Fame’s second in command in almost everything, the one besides Violet who spent the most time in Fame’s presence and one of the only employees Fame confided in. As the creative director, Raja was in almost as many projects as Fame was, even if it was always Fame who had the final say in all decisions. Nothing was done without the consultation of Fame and sometimes even Patrick who was Fame’s husband and the financial backer of the Galactica project.

Violet liked Raja well enough. She was competent, fair and someone who got her business done, which was something Violet admired in a leader.

Raja wasn’t a naturally sweet person, but in Violet’s opinion that didn’t matter. Even after more than a year at the company, Violet knew very little about Raja, except for the fact that she was Indonesian, and that she had a girlfriend named Raven. She had found out about the girlfriend thing through Max, who had off-handedly mentioned it one time when he had dropped off pictures from a shoot. Raven was one of their most used models, but their results never suffered from the fact that the model was dating one of the bosses. Violet admired and respected Raja, and they had a good coexistence going on where neither of them spent too much time with the other.

“Violet… Violet, how many times do I have to scream your name? I need a pen.”

Violet instantly reached into her Prada bag, getting Fame what she asked for.

“Yes Miss, sorry Miss.”

“That’s all.”

And again, Violet saw the small smile on Fame’s lips, gone the moment she blinked.


	2. Chapter 2

Violet was checking the conference table one final time, consulting the list in her notebook once again to make sure that there was a drink and a snack to satisfy every single last editor. Pelligrino for Fame, Blueprint orange, grapefruit and lemon juice for Raja, Doctor Pepper for Alyssa and Red Bulls for Alaska. Pearl was a bit of a wild card, but since Violet knew how important this meeting was for Fame she had picked up every single one of Pearl’s most regular choices. Notebooks and pencils were ready for everyone, along with sketch paper, and the printer was set up in case anyone had forgotten anything. Violet checked the thermostat, making sure that the room would be the perfect temperature before she nodded to herself. Now all she needed were the editors and Fame before the meeting could begin.

Luckily, Fame wasn’t the first one to arrive, Trixie was. Violet hated meetings where Fame didn’t follow her schedule because Fame was always on time, everyone else was simply too late or too early.

Trixie had brought an armful of what looked to Violet like half of the material station in the design department. Trixie smiled gratefully when Violet came to meet him, helping him distribute the different materials out on the table so everyone had a chance to give their input. Trixie’s hair was sticking out in all directions, his little bald spot visible from the hands he had run through his hair in what Violet guessed had been frustration.

“Are you okay?”

“My entire department is in panic.” Trixie looked at Violet, a loopy smile on his face. “Thanks for the warning by the way. Without you, we would’ve been seriously screwed. Who gives a twelve hour deadline for a complete collection change?”

Violet bit her lips; she felt a little guilty for going behind Fame’s back, but in that situation she had felt like she had no choice. In the car back from the tailor’s, Raja and Fame had been discussing whether or not they would have the time to redo the entire collection. Violet knew she wasn’t supposed to listen, but as soon as she had heard it, she had sent an e-mail to Trixie, warning him about the upcoming change. The design department had dropped everything they were working on, concentrating completely on reworking the spring collection. Violet’s warning had only given Trixie an extra eight hours of work time, but the look of extreme gratitude in Trixie’s eyes had convinced Violet she had done the right thing for the company, even if she had betrayed Fame’s trust.

The next one to come in was Pearl, then Alaska who waved at Violet with a smile on her face, followed by Raja and Alyssa who were deep in conversation. Violet was standing in the corner, waiting for Fame who was supposed to arrive in under two minutes straight from her lunch with Chris Gelinas. Violet was fiddling with the bottom of her dress, tugging on a small piece of thread she had been absent-mindedly working on the entire day. Finally Fame came into the room and took one look around, her eyes meeting with each single editor before laying eyes on her own place.

“Where are my sketches, Violet?”

Everyone turned to Violet, and she wished the earth would swallow her up.

“Right here Miss!” Violet quickly made her way to Fame, handing her a big folder. Fame had originally only given Violet one set of sketches, but Violet had spent her lunch break making copies so Fame would have an easier time doing her presentation. Violet had never seen Fame sketch anything before, didn’t even know Fame still did that, so she was very nervous when she presented her decision to Fame.  
Fame opened the folder, quickly checking if it was the right one. Fame looked at Violet. “Did you copy these?”

“I-I did Miss, I though-”

Fame snapped the folder closed. “That’s all.”

Violet nodded, stepping back into her corner, her fingers once again tugging at the embroidery at the bottom of her Dolce & Gabbana dress. She could feel the thread come loose, but the motion was one of the only things keeping her calm at the moment. Violet knew she would have to pay for the repairs; she was making a hole in a 1000 dollar dress, but she had been unable to read Fame’s expression, which stressed her out even more than the fact that she would have a to-do list as long as her arm as soon as the meeting was over. Violet bit the inside of her cheek, waiting for something to happen while Fame sat down, lazily giving out the copies of her sketches. 

Violet met Raja’s eyes, and with a short nod from her, Violet knew it was okay for her to leave.

***

“No, maybe, no, no and no.” Fame was sorting through the fabric and print samples on the table. “Why are there not more options here? Why is no one ready? I have given you hours and hours to prepare.”

Trixie winced a little at this, but thankfully Fame had taken some of the new ideas he had presented. Everyone else winced too, except for Alyssa who was just at the meeting to make the marketing strategy for how they would sell the clothes when they hit the stores. Fame had already presented what she thought was wrong with the current collection. The tone was all wrong, more like what a nouveau riche Chinese girl would wear to college than what the Galactica brand should represent.

“What if we used baby pi-”

“No.”

Fame looked at Alaska, effectively shutting the other woman up.

“Right now my assistant is the most competent person in the room, and I pay her only a fraction of what I give any of you. Ideas. Come on.”

Pearl leaned back in her chair a little, tapping her pen against the table.

“The Victorian aesthetic is coming back.”

Everyone looked at her.

“It is, at least among the fashion students. Long sleeves, high necks, knee length skirts. If we focus on materials like chiffon, silk and lace we could meet that aesthetic.”

Trixie nodded, now completely on board with Pearl’s idea.

“We have some floral prints from last year that I haven’t thrown out ye-”

“Florals? For spring. Trixie, did you come to work today or is it only your body sitting here?”  
Raja politely coughed, stopping Fame from completely steamrolling Trixie.

“Maybe it’s not such a bad idea, but instead of going for the girly floral aesthetic, we go to the jungle. Like Marianne North.” Raja was already searching on her iPad mini, and as soon as everyone saw the pictures of the plants the British botanist had discovered in the Victorian era. The idea was sold.

***

“Violet girl, you don’t know how much I love you right now.”

Violet laughed. She had returned right after the meeting had ended to clean everything up and collect what Fame has approved and would need.

“It couldn’t have been that bad. Fame was smiling when she came into her office.”

“Oh, it was that bad, I need to go to the bathroom to check if my ass is still there from Fame chewing it up and spitting it back out. You definitely saved my life and sanity, so if you need anything, and I mean ANYTHING, let me know and I’ll get it done.” Trixie looked up at Violet from the chair he was still sitting in, exhaustion clearly visible on his face.

“I’ll hold you to that,” Violet said teasingly. “I’m just glad I could help because I know it could have been much worse if I hadn’t been there and you didn’t find out until the meeting. It would not have been pretty.”

“You can say that again,” Trixie phone dinged and he sighed.

“I have to get back to the dungeons of design to get started on this new collection edits Fame wants.” Trixie stood up, quickly chugging his drink. “Thank you though, really. Thank you. You are truly an angel in a Dolce & Gabbana dress,” said Trixie with a smile before walking out the room.

***

“Cheers!” Violet laughed, lifting her glass and gesturing to the people who were sitting around the table. She was on her third gin and tonic, feeling amazing.

Pearl had insisted after work that all of them should go out to celebrate the fact that Violet had lived with them for a whole week. Trixie had protested, but Pearl had trumped through with the help of Katya, and Violet didn’t care at all that she was on her way to get hammered on a Wednesday afternoon.

“To Violet!” Trixie said, a smile on his face.

“To Violet!” Everyone else agreed, glasses clicking as all of them drank.

“Come dance with me!” Katya smiled, and Violet couldn’t resist as the blonde Russian dragged her towards the dance floor at the bar Pearl had taken them to.

Katya was a fabulous dancer, completely unashamed of herself even as she made moves that had Violet doubling over in laughter. Trixie came out, joining Katya in what could only be described as a dance-off between idiots. Violet retreated a little, letting the music decide how she danced, sipping her drink and swaying to the beat by herself.

Violet spent the night dancing and drinking, feeling totally free as she went and danced with all of her roommates. Max’s strong arms and height were perfect for one of the slower songs, while Trixie had swung her around. Violet and Katya had attempted vogue-ing, which had released one of the hyena laughs from the blonde that Violet was becoming addicted to, making the night even more perfect.

She and Pearl had danced to Body Parts, grinding closely together as the music decided the rhythm of their hips. Violet could smell the rum on Pearl’s breath, their faces so close together, their dancing making her wetter than she had been in years. Violet was a coward though, even with four drinks in her blood, so she excused herself right before Pearl kissed her, finding refuge in the bathroom. She knew she was into Pearl, had been since the first time they met, but actually getting to know Pearl had only made it worse, so much worse.

Violet’s skirt was pulled up around her hips, her panties pushed to the side as she fucked down onto her hands, biting her tongue, the stall door in front of her positively filthy, but she didn’t care as she, with sure fingers, worked her way towards her orgasm. Violet moaned quietly as her thumb flicked over her clit, the small nub sending wave after wave of pleasure throughout her body until she shuddered and came; only just swallowing her moan of pleasure, drenching her hand as her entire body shook from the force of her orgasm.

Violet quickly pulled down her skirt before she opened the stall door, quickly washing her hands, the buzz still running up and down her spine as mortification also sat in.

“Fuck fuck fuck”, Violet whispered to herself, reapplying her lipstick, making sure her lip liner was perfect even as her hand was shaking a little. She was so dumb; why did she let Pearl get so close? Pearl was a player and Violet knew that. Everyone in the fashion world knew that. There was not a lesbian or bisexual woman in the New York Fashion industry that didn’t have at least some kind of story about Pearl, and Violet was not going to become just another story. Their friendship was too important to her. Stupid stupid stupid.

A blonde girl stumbled out from the bathroom stall, humming to herself as she washed her hands. The blonde took one look at Violet’s face and smiled, thick Australian accent leaving her mouth.

“Wow… How do you do that? Your makeup looks like… so good. All red and… good. Can I borrow that?”

Violet laughed at the other’s words, immediately feeling the kind of connection only two very drunk girls could.

“Sure, let me help you!” Violet smiled, the conversation flowing as her earlier heartbreak was completely forgotten thanks to the drinks in her blood. The other girl was just explaining to Violet how she only ever really wore chapstick and mascara, which made Violet empty out her bag with a laugh.

The two of them leaned on the bathroom counter as Violet did the other’s makeup.

A brunette came into the bathroom, opening the door with such force that it banged into the wall. “Courtney! There you are! You need to come back to the party!” The girl was all smiles and charm as she wrapped her arms around the girl.

“Adore! I’m getting my makeup done.” The blonde girl, now identified as Courtney, giggled, while letting Violet apply some more mascara to her lashes, a huge smile on her face. But Adore didn’t take no for an answer.

“But Coooourt, you already look sooo pretty! Tell her Violet, tell her she already looks soooo pretty! You would know!” Adore hiccupped, giggling as she covered her mouth. She smiled to Violet. “You did a reeeally good job boo. Are you a makeup artist?” slurred Adore, hopping up in her colorful Jeremy Scott dress to sit on the sink beside her friend.

Violet shook her head, concentrating hard on placing a napkin between Courtney’s lips, the other almost done.

“How do you know my friend?” Courtney took Violet’s face between her hands, looking at her intently. “I have never seen you before! And I remember sexy ladies…I…I…don’t remember you.”

Violet smiled brightly at Courtney, leaning into her hands, giving a little shimmy to the music from the lounge that could be heard from the bathroom. “Adore knows Pearl!” Violet’s face went dark for a moment, remembering why she was hiding in the bathroom in the first place. “Pearl and I work together at Galactica.” Violet looked around, ready to change the subject. “Where’s my drink?”

“Oh my god!!!” Courtney exclaimed, sliding off the counter onto slightly shaky legs to look at Violet. “I applied for a job there as a personal assistant under Miss…Miss… Oh no, I can’t remember!” Courtney wailed, hiding her face behind her hair, making Violet laugh.

“It’s Miss Fame! You have to remember that at the job interview!” Adore pulled the two girls into a group hug, now getting a closer look at Courtney’s face. ”Wow! You look beautiful, Court!”

“Yaaaas, I did that!” Violet laughed. “I’m more than just a pretty face and sexy boody.”

“A very sexy body!” Courtney agreed.

“Mmh!” said Violet who had found her drink on the counter.

“I’m looking over the résumés for the new assistant position. I can’t promise anything, but I’ll totally hook you up and put yours at the top of the pile.” Violet was rubbing Courtney’s knee, finishing her drink as they were talking.

“I swear I love you… Like I really honestly love you. I don’t know or remember your name but you’re going in my gratitude journal, no, no, don’t laugh! When I remember your name, I’m going to give it to my firstborn child!!” Courtney squealed, wrapping Violet in a neck-popping hug while hopping around in place.

“Well, I’M ready to drink and dance some more, and you well-dressed skanks are going to join me!” Adore said, “let’s goooo!” dragging her new best friends out from the bathroom and towards the bar to make good on her promise.

***

“Oh Maxi boo, I do declare I love yooooouuu!” Violet giggled, hiding her face in Max’s shoulder, playing with his hair as he carried her into the apartment. Max gently mouthed goodnight to everyone else who trickled into their own bedrooms, like a completely sober Katya supporting Trixie, who had needed to forget everything for the night.

“I love you too Violet.” Max smiled, carefully holding Violet. “Do you know what you would love more though?” Max’s voice was soft as he spoke to the inebriated young woman in his arms.

“Nachos? Because I’d really love that,” Violet nodded, very pleased with herself, gently stroking the side of Max’s face.

Max laughed. “I don’t have any nachos, I’m sorry darling, but! I can help you out of your beautiful dress and high heels and put you to bed, how about that? Doesn’t that sound just as nice?”

“Oh…that does sound lovely Maxi…I’m sooo sleepy.” Violet yawned, laying her head on his chest and closing her eyes.

Max opened the door to Violet’s room, only now realizing what a complete chaos it was. Violet’s room was cluttered with boxes and her bed was covered in design sketches and other files from work since everything had been busy beyond belief in the last week.

With a soft laugh, Max looked down at his newest and smallest roommate while walking towards his own room.  
  
***

Violet blinked, her brain feeling like it could run out of her ear the first chance it got. “Oh, my head…” Violet tried to turn over to go back to sleep, but her body felt like it was made of stone.

“There’s water and painkillers on the night stand, but you need to get ready because you have work in a few hours.”

Violet couldn’t identify the voice at first, but then the British accent hit her and she sat up, panic painted on her face.

“Oh no, no no no no.” Violet looked around, ignoring the hammering pain in her head. She was wearing one of Max’s t-shirts, and then it hit her. “No, please don’t tell me we hooked up last night!”   
Violet looked at Max, the other shirtless, which only confirmed her suspicion. “Oh my god, I can’t remember anything after that last round of shots…”

Violet looked like she was going to have a full blown panic attack trying to figure out what happened after she got home.

“Violet, Violet darling, please don’t cry, nothing happened last night, I promise you.”   
Max reached out, gently petting Violet’s back.

Violet turned to look at him with misty eyes and rumpled hair.

“What do you mean? I wake up, in your bed, you don’t have a shirt on, I’m not in my dress let alone in my room! Of course something happened.” Violet felt tears come up in her eyes, shame washing over her. Not because she found Max disgusting or unattractive, but because she couldn’t remember anything. Would this ruin her life in the apartment?

“Violet…” Max turned Violet’s head so he could look her in the eyes. “Sweetheart. Listen to me. Nothing happened. I went to your room last night so I could tuck you in, but your bed was covered in work papers and I didn’t want to move anything in case it was important, so I carried you in here.” The tears that were rolling down Violet’s cheeks had slowly stopped, and she was no longer shaking underneath Max’s hand.

“I undressed you since no one should sleep in Alexander McQueen. I know how heartbroken you would’ve been if your dress had been destroyed.”

Violet nodded slowly, Max’s accent surprisingly calming to her.

“You still have your undergarments on underneath that oversized t-shirt.” Max smiled. “My original plan was to get you comfortable, let you have the bed and then sleep in the living room. But you grabbed my arm and asked me to stay, so I laid down next to you and you proceeded to use me as a human pillow and pass out.” Max chuckled, handing Violet the painkillers and a bottle of water from the bedside table. “And though you are a beautiful woman Violet, I am physically and mentally not interested in sleeping with you.”

“So you’re gay then?” Violet smiled apologetically. “I’m sorry for assuming about your sexuality, but the photographers tend to be straight.”

Max smiled back, suddenly a little shy. “Actually… that’s not correct either. I’m… I’m asexual, so I’m not interested in a sexual relationship with anyone. At all. My friendships with you, Pearl, Trixie and Katya, even Fame are more than satisfactory for me. So please don’t worry about last night, I just wanted you to be comfortable and get some rest since you drank as much as you did.” Max laid down, gathering his covers around him, ready to go back to bed.

“Oh… I’m so sorry…” Violet fiddled with the hem of her borrowed shirt, gently tugging at the fabric.

“It’s ok darling.” Max looked up at Violet. “You didn’t know. Anyone who had the night, and drank as much as you did last night”, at this, Max smiled, “and woke up in the position you did, would have thought the same thing. No hard feelings and no harm done. But it’s now 5:30 and if you want to shower, get dressed and out the door before 7 am, you need to get started now.”

“What?! Is it 5:30 already?! Fuck!” Violet jumped from the bed, running off, still in Max’s t-shirt.

***

Violet felt like a group of tiny dwarves where mining for diamonds inside her head, as even the sound of her own nails on her computer keyboard was nearly too much. She had worn one of her best outfits, desperate to conceal the fact that she felt like something dead a cat had dragged home on the inside.

She had rushed to work that morning, none of her usual calm as she had practically verbally abused a taxi driver when he took a wrong turn to her work. Violet had felt so bad she had thrown an extra ten dollar tip in the cabbie’s face.

Thankfully Fame had been kind to her that morning, in an unusually sweet mood, not even commenting on the fact that Violet wore sunglasses indoors, accepting the first breakfast with no complains about the coffee being a little cold. Violet had been ready to kill herself several times throughout the time, most of all when Alaska had called her up with a loud “hiiiiiie” on the phone which had felt like gasoline being poured down her spine.

All Violet wanted was a TLC marathon, a can of Diet Coke and a bowl of mashed potatoes.

Fame had not even commented when Violet had taken embarrassingly long to bring her the list of the new assistants Violet had screened and collected references on for her, because she has forgotten where she had put it down when Fame asked. Thankfully, there was only about five minutes until Violet would have 15 wonderful minutes of peace to eat lunch.

She jumped when Fame called her name, standing right in front of her. She hadn’t even seen Fame leave her office.

“Violet, get me Pearl and then you may take a long lunch.”

“Yes Miss, right away Miss!”

***

Fame was reading an e-mail when Pearl came into the office, wearing sunglasses with shades the side of plates. Fame smiled; Pearl looked as bad as she knew Violet felt, and oh how she loved to see her pets get what they deserved.

“You sent for me, Miss.”

“Close the door.”

Pearl smiled, quickly obeying Fame.

“You’ve been a bad girl. Seducing my staff to go drinking on a weekday, paralyzing my assistant. Did you know that Violet gave me her coffee this morning, without even noticing?”

“I’m sorry Miss, it wasn’t my intention.”

“We both know what your intention was Pearl, and you can’t play with her.” Fame clicked a button on her keyboard and the screen went black. “You’re all mine, my talent, my pets, my toys, and I think it’s time you get reminded of your place.”

Fame pushed herself away from her desk, spreading her legs, revealing that she was not wearing underwear.

“On your knees.”

“Yes Miss.”

Fame smiled as Pearl quickly got to her knees between Fame’s legs, placing a gentle kiss on the inside of Fame’s thigh, the soft skin and the fresh smell of La Mer, the carpet in Fame’s room feeling soft underneath Pearl’s knees made her short of breath.

Fame reached down, removing the sunglasses from Pearl’s face, placing them on her table. “Be quick.”

“You’re always so romantic.” Pearl smiled, chuckling a little until Fame grabbed her hair, guiding Pearl to where she wanted her the most.

“Shut up, and do what I asked.”

Pearl nodded, falling into Fame’s dominance, the world outside not mattering anymore as she buried her face between Fame’s legs.

***

“Specialized techniques are used to guide the child’s increasing exposure to difficult settings, and the therapist will teach parents and child how to use these techniques in real-life settings.” Katya moved a little, lazily petting Trixie’s hair. “Are you still listening babe?”

“Mmh…”

Katya smiled, kissing Trixie’s head. Trixie smelled of vanilla and his hair was slightly damp from the shower he had just taken.

The two of them were in bed together, Trixie tucked in underneath Katya’s chin, both of them wrapped in their softest pyjamas, candles and sage burning on their night table as they cuddled.

“Good, I’ll continue to read then.”

“Mmh.”

“Newer approaches offer evidence that intensive treatment from the time of diagnosis may prove more effective than traditional weekly sessions.”

Katya could hear the soft sounds of Trixie’s breath evening out until the other finally fell asleep. Katya smiled, gently marking and closing her book on treatment of children with selective mutism before she took off her glasses and turned off the light and the candles, snuggling into Trixie’s arms.

“Goodnight babe, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

***

“Hey, I brought the coffee you asked for.”

Violet stood up, quickly running to Max to take the coffee he had brought her.

“Thank you so, so much Max.” Her voice was hushed as she ushered Max into her front office.

“You have saved my life. Fame has completely torn the first two candidates apart!” Violet was already frantically searching for new ones to come in as soon as possible on her computer, having called two more agencies to get a list of potential candidates.

“One of them was wearing Zara for Christ’s sake, some sad excuse of a human called Kelly Mantle, it was horrible, but I couldn’t do anything about it.” Violet gave Max two boxes and a thick stack of papers. “I need you to bring the papers to Alyssa, the pink box to Alaska and the last one to Raja. Then go to Laganja and get next week’s stories that need proofing, also, when you’re down there could you please ask Pearl to write a short analysis of the use of flowers in Gucci’s resort collection from two years ago? Tell her to collaborate with the design department. Oh, and when you’re with Raja anyway, I need three Hermes scarves in off-white, egg shell and soft cream. I know she has some leftover from the Warehouse shoot you did for the web show about a month ago.”

“Violet, I need you to breathe.” Max smiled, placing a gentle hand on Violets’ back. “There’s no way I can remember all of that.”

“I wrote everything down, just look in your mail, now go, go, go! Fame is done with her phone meeting in a minute.”

“I’m going, I’m going.” Max laughed as he quickly disappeared from the office, his arms filled with the stuff Violet had given him, giving her enough time to grab her phone and run to the front desk to greet the last girl.

***

Courtney had never seen any other room as white and spotless as the reception she was standing in. The girl, Roxy, sitting at the front desk, had told Courtney to wait until she was collected.

Courtney heard the sound of heels coming down the hall, and then Violet turned appeared from around the corner. Courtney felt relief washing over her, happy to see the girl she had instantly bonded with the other night. It was amazing that Violet had come through for her, making sure that her application had made it to Fame herself. Courtney smiled brightly.

“Good morning girl!”

Violet smiled back, quickly checking her watch. “It’s almost 11.” Violet gestured for Courtney to follow her, which she did right away.

“Oh, yeah, I’m not much of a morning person.”

“You’ll have to turn into one then, my workday starts at 7 am.”

Yikes. Courtney bit her lip as she was quite the party girl.

“What do you do then? I mean, everyone doesn’t come in at 7, right? Thank you for handing her my resume.”

“It’s no problem, and no, no of course not. But Miss Fame is often unpredictable with her meeting times.”

Courtney had to almost run a little to follow Violet, the other’s speed and spidery long legs making it hard to keep up.

“So you work directly with Fame?”

“I’m her personal assistant.”

“Oh…”

Violet smiled. “Don’t worry, I’m not as scary as I look. Now remember when you come in there, smile, but don’t show your teeth.” Violet stopped outside the glass door of an office. “Here, chew this gum.” Violet handed Courtney a piece of fresh mint which Courtney obediently took. “Now only speak when spoken to, and never interrupt her. This interview is not about you, but about what you can do for her. Got it?” Courtney nodded, already feeling pretty overwhelmed.

“Do you have a printed version of your resume?”

Courtney shook her head, cursing herself that she had forgotten something so basic.

“Nevermind, I have an extra one. Now spit.” Courtney felt shocked, but then she saw that Violet had a paper tissue in her hand. It felt very weird, but she obediently spat out the gum the other girl has given her.

Violet gave Courtney a once over.

“Give me your necklace?”

“What? No! This is new.”

Courtney grabbed her necklace. She loved the little hearts on it, she had brought it with Adore as a preparation for her interview.

“If you want any chance at this job, give me your necklace.”

“Fine.” Courtney handed it to Violet.

“Your hair looks fine, good even, now straighten your back and go in and sla-”

“Violet!”

Violet froze in place and then quickly turned around, opening the glass door with a smile on her face.

“Violet, is this the last candidate?”

“Yes Miss, it is.”

Fame nodded.

“Good. The last two you send me where deeply inadequate. This one better not be a disappointment, or this will reflect very badly upon you.”

***

Violet had never been happier to see the end of the work week than when the clock struck 6.  
Fame would leave soon and then Violet would finally have time to tie up the loose ends of the day, which had gone by like a whirlwind.

Violet kicked off her shoes, hiding her now bare, perfectly manicured feet behind her desk, resting, feeling utterly exhausted but victorious. Courtney had been hired, which meant that Violet had lived up to Fame’s expectations. Violet was leaning back, looking up at the ceiling, just taking a moment to rest her eyes.

“Herm herm.”

The sound from the door registered, but Violet was too tired to open her eyes.

“What do you want?”

“Is Fame still here?”

Violet didn’t recognize the male voice, but it didn’t matter.

“Miss Fame is not taking anymore meetings for today, so if you could plea-”

Violet had sat up, opening her eyes, when she recognized the man in front of her.

“Mr. Bertshy! Oh god, I am so sorry.” Violet stood up right away, quickly smoothing down imaginary wrinkles in her dress. “I’ll call her right away for you sir, I’m so sorr-”

“There will be no need for that.”

Violet stopped immediately as she heard Fame’s soft voice coming from her office, and soon Fame was standing in the door.

“Hello darling.” Fame smiled, a tenderness in her eyes that Violet very rarely saw as she leaned forward and upwards to gently kiss the man. Violet looked away, a little embarrassed by how she had treated the man earlier. Stupid stupid stupid, she knew Fame had made dinner reservations, Violet had actually made the very reservation herself.

“Are you ready to go Patrick?”

The man nodded, a smile on his face as Violet got the hint, quickly finding Fame’s coat and her evening purse, not the big and heavy one she had brought to work in the morning, since everything of importance, like Fame’s dry-cleaning and whatever else she had to take into account over the weekend, would be delivered to her house.

“Violet?”

“Yes Miss!” Violet was standing with the coat, quickly helping Fame into it.

“I expect that everything will be ready for Monday for our new employee. It will be your responsibility to train her, so be prepared to work overtime.”

“Yes Miss.”

“Also, put some shoes on.”

Violet looked down, realizing that she was standing barefoot on the carpet Fame had installed in her office.

“Yes Miss, it will happen Miss, right away.”

“Good, that’s all.” Fame smiled at Violet, taking the arm Patrick offered her as the two of them left the office, leaving a mortified Violet behind.

***

“So that’s the new one?”

“Mmh… Isn’t she adorable?”

“You always knew how to pick the prettiest toys, love.”

***  
  
Trixie was sitting at the kitchen table, drinking a cup of tea as he was playing on his iPad. Trixie had chosen to take a weekend to himself, a sort of quiet before the storm that was preparation for fashion week breaks out. Katya had talked for days about how she would like to visit the Barnes & Nobel that had just opened in the hopes of finding some non-English children’s books for her classroom.

The girl in question was standing at the kitchen counter, happily humming away as she worked on breakfast for everyone in the house.

“Do you think Violet wants syrniki?” Katya looked at Trixie, a sweet but nervous smile on her face. Trixie shrugged; they had lived with Violet for over a week now, but Trixie had never seen Violet eat anything but salad, plain toast and that one bowl of mashed potatos.

“Violet would not want syrniki, but she would like a cup of tea and a piece of toast though.”

Both Trixie and Katya turned around, smiling at Violet who was standing in the doorway to the kitchen in her lounge wear, which for Violet was a pair of yoga pants and a long t-shirt.

“Of course!” Katya smiled brightly. “One cup of tea coming right up.”

Soon after, Max joined them, all of them falling into easy morning conversation until they all heard the door to Pearl’s room open, and the sound of two pairs of footsteps making their way to the front door, one barefooted and one in what sounded like heels.

“Yes, bye Ceceli- No, I’ll call you - What do you mean? I’ll totally call- Yes, yes, okay, okay, fine, okay good, goodbye!”

Trixie chuckled into his cup as he heard the front door slam close. So it had been one of those nights then.

Pearl appeared in the kitchen soon afterwards, her long hair falling down her back, tangled together in what could only be described as bed head, with small pieces of glitter confetti stuck in it.

Pearl scratched her belly, a satisfied expression on her face as she looked around at everyone, Trixie offering up his hand for a high five which Pearl happily took, making Violet crinkle her nose.

“So what’s for breakfast?” Pearl sat down, already grabbing bits and pieces for her plate which soon lead to everyone talking, Pearl revealing she had been at a big party the night before which made Max blush.

“Awh, you’re blushing, Maxi.” Pearl smiled as she teased Max, which made Max’s expression turn slightly sour.

“It’s your fault for not honoring the roommate agreement.”

“The roommate agreement?” Violet looked at Max and then Pearl.

“Yeah, I guess it kinda is my fault.” Pearl smiled completely unapologetically while Max’s irritated expression continued while he took the word.

“The roommate agreement says that Pearl is not allowed to have girls over between the hours of 4 and 10 on weekends and 12 to 6 on weekdays if there are screams, since some of us share walls in this loft.” Now it was Violet’s turn to blush, while Pearl nonchalantly continued to eat her food.

“And I would apologize,” Pearl looked at Max, a cheeky smile on her face, “but she promised me she could be quiet, but the poor thing had only slept with straight guys before. I made her orgasm six times before I kicked her out.“ Violet felt her blush grow, claiming her entire face. She had to cross her legs underneath the table, as Pearl, unabashed, continued to brag. ’‘It’s not my fault I’m God’s gift to womankind and, of course, models in particular. Now, is there anymore syrniki left?”   
-

Courtney took a deep breath just as she entered the Galactica building. It was a sunny day in early August, and she had dressed in her very best outfit since it would be her first day at her brand new job.    
Courtney had applied for the job with little to no hope of actually getting it, but then the miracle happened, and she had been completely overjoyed when her new friend Violet had called her with the news; even if the interview with Miss Fame had been one of the scariest things she had ever done.    
Courtney’s entire weekend had been spent in a frantic state of calling everyone she could think of from college so she could brag about her awesome new job, and the near endless parties to celebrate said awesome job.

Courtney thought she would have been the first one in the building, but when she made it to the office, was Violet already there. Courtney quickly checked her hair and her teeth in the glass door reflection, smothering out the wrinkles in her cotton candy dress, before she opened the door with a big smile and a cheery “Good morning!”

Violet looked up. She was organizing something at a brand new desk that had not been there during Courtney’s interview. It was placed directly across from Violet’s desk, on the other side of the door to Fame’s office. “Ah, good morning! Good you’re here.” Violet smiled gently; the desk was equipped with a new iMac and office supplies, along with a binder and notepad with the Galactica logo.

“Fame is getting her hair recolored and cut at Bumble and Bumble out in SoHo today, so we have time to get you ready before she returns”

“Get me ready?” Courtney looked down at herself; she thought she looked more than fine, she actually tried in honor of the new job.

“Not like that.” Violet smiled again, gesturing for Courtney to come sit at the desk while Violet continued to stand. “Here.” Violet placed a stack of papers in front of Courtney on the table.  
“I need you to sign these before we begin the tour of the office, it’s standard procedure, but if you really want to you can have a laywer read them for you.”

“No!”

“No?” Violet raised an eyebrow.

“No, or, yes, I mean, no, it’s fine. I’ll sign them right now.”

Violet nodded, handing Courtney a pen. Courtney could feel her cheeks burn with shame as she quickly signed the papers Violet had laid out for her, way to be embarrassed on the first day on the job.

As soon as she was finished, Violet picked up the papers, the same gentle smile on her lips.

“Thank you, I’ll have a copy sent to your house right away.”

Courtney nodded, worried for a second about how they knew where she lived, until she remembered she had wrote it in her cover letter. Courtney was taken from her thoughts when Violet placed a brand new iPhone 6+ in front of her, which Courtney immediately grabbed, gasping when she turned it around and saw that it was the one in gold.

“Oh, are you disappointed?” Violet looked genuinely sorry. “Is it not okay that it’s gold? You just always seems to accessorize with that metal, I can have it exchanged if you-” Violet extended her hand, ready to take the phone back.

“No!” Courtney moved so Violet couldn’t get it. “No! It’s fine! More then fine! I love it!”

Violet smiled at Courtney’s antics, sitting down at the other side of Courtney’s desk. Now that she knew Courtney had accepted the phone, Violet placed her own one on the desk. It was also a 6+.

“This is your most important piece of work equipment. It’s not a toy, and it’s not for your personal use, okay? I don’t want to catch you playing Candy Crush on this.”

Courtney nodded, already knowing now that she did not intend to keep that promise at all. Her new phone was going with her everywhere from now on.

“You will never, and I mean never, leave your phone unattended during business hours. We do have a landline,” Violet pointed at the phone on Courtney’s desk, which had a corresponding model on Violet’s; “but any calls get redirected to our phones if no one takes them within the first four rings.”

Courtney nodded again, noting everything Violet was saying down into the notebook in front of her. ’'Fame uses these numbers to get in touch with us, so you’ll have it on, even during nights and weekends in case Fame needs us.”

“Got it.” Courtney smiled. It sounded kinda extreme and she was pretty sure Violet was just joking. Who had their work phone on over the weekends?

“Good. Now remember, there will never be any excuse good enough not to take your phone if Fame calls during the weekend, and you will always, and I mean always, have it fully charged. Nothing is more useless then a personal assistant you can’t get a hold off.”

Courtney nodded, keeping a very serious expression on her face to match Violet’s tone.

“I always have my phone and a notepad with me. Fame is busy and if we can help it we never bother her with any follow-up questions, we just do what we’re supposed to. Oh, before I forget.” Violet placed a keycard in front of Courtney next with her full name and photo on it. “This card is your access key to the building. Your assistant card opens basically every door on our floors, save for the editor’s private offices, except Fame’s of course.”

“We can go into Fame’s office?” Courtney smiled widely, already excited about snooping around in the inner secrets of the blonde editor-in-chief of Galactica.

“Just because we can, doesn’t mean we should.”

“Oh…”

“Don’t ‘oh’ me, we are assistants, Courtney, and therefore the least important people in the food chain. We are here not for our personal gain, but to make Miss Fame’s workday as easy and painless as humanly possible.”

It was in that moment that Courtney realized for the first time how seriously Violet took her job.

 


	3. Chapter 3

“Grab your phone, come with me and I’ll show you the building.”

“Yes!” Courtney smiled brightly, quickly hopping after Violet seeing as she was beyond excited to get a chance to see her new workplace. She had only been at one of the floors at Galactica so far, but she loved the clean and fresh environment of the workplace already.

Violet chuckled as they made their way down two floors while she sometimes commented on a particular interesting piece of art of furniture.

“Miss Fame has a big interest in Scandinavia while Raja draws a lot of inspiration from the Middle East, what you’ll see in the departments where Raja is in charge.”

Courtney nodded, stepping out of the internal elevator on the 19th floor, paying complete attention to everything Violet was saying. There was no one there yet, and they had to turn on the light as they made their round.

“So, Galactica occupies the 19th to 21st floor of this building, which I’m sure you noticed when you were going up in the elevator this morning.”

“Of course, Violet.” Courtney looked around, lying straight to Violet’s face as she hadn’t seen that at all.

“On the 19th floor, we have… well, basically everything not directly related to fashion.” Violet walked down the long hallway, showing Courtney every office there was.

“Here we have marketing, which is led by Alyssa Edwards, whom you’ll get to meet soon enough.” Courtney nodded, almost running a little to keep up with Violet, silently cursing herself for the heels she had worn for the job. Courtney had no idea there would be this much walking in an assistant job; in her mind it had been a job mostly about sitting at a desk, talking to models and designers and being pretty.

“Over there is PR and social media, which is a growing department. Pearl, who oversees that department, is notoriously difficult to get a hold of since she spends very little of her time at the office, so if you desperately need her, tweet her, but I’m trying to teach her how to take a phone call like a normal person.”

“Where is she then if not here?”

“Out on the streets, at parties, at receptions. Only God knows. Pearl goes to almost every single fashion related event in New York, and she covers everything that Fame or Raja are either too busy to attend, or simply don’t care for.”

“Oh…” Courtney looked a little dreamingly at the door to the big office with several desks that belonged to the social media department. “Do we ever go to parties with Galactica? Like, as an assistant, have you ever met any designers?” Courtney asked, hope in her voice.

“No.”

“Oh…” Courtney bit her lip, a little disappointed since she and Adore had bought a lot of new, glittery clothes for all the high society parties Courtney was sure she was going to go to. Maybe she could still return them if she was lucky.

“Then on your left we have customer service for our web shop; remember to keep good friends with everyone working there as you will need their help more often than you think, but you seem friendly and very energetic, so it’ll most likely not be a problem.”

Courtney smiled. “Awh, thank you Violet.”

“And last but not least, we have the interns’ offices, almost every department has one of them, right now we have six working here, and I’ve taken one of them under my wing a little, since they are graduating from my college.”

“You went to fashion school? Really?” Courtney looked Violet up and down, really noticing how meticulously each piece of clothing on her body had been selected and how everything matched, without it being too much.

“Is there a problem with that, Courtney?”

“No! No, of course not, continue, shutting right up!”

Violet nodded, showing Courtney the last big room on the floor which was a light-filled room with big architect tables, sewing machines, mannequins, computers and almost everything Courtney could imagine someone working in fashion could need.

“Is this the design department?”

“Oh, no, no. The design department is much bigger and messier, come. I’ll show you.” Violet smiled gently, taking Courtney to the 20th floor. “What you saw down there is for our guest designers or for the small up-and-coming brands that need a workspace to get their business started. Miss Fame cares deeply about nurturing and discovering talent. The people who get to work here like this are very lucky, Galactica can make or break a career and Miss Fame can turn dreams into reality.” If Courtney didn’t know better, she could almost believe Violet’s voice had a note of envy in it.

While Violet explained, the offices started to fill up with people who all said hello to Violet, and introduced themselves to Courtney with a smile.

“Oh wow..” Courtney looked around at all the people who had immediately started working, with Violet only pointing one or two out as someone Courtney had to remember. “I didn’t know Galactica had an in-house design department,”

“Oh we do, Fame cares deeply about keeping the entire production American, which is made possible in part by the funding from Mr. Bertschy.”

“Who’s that?”

Violet turned around, looking at Courtney with shock on her face. “Did you really just ask me that? Mr. Bertschy is, he’s-” a ding sounded from Violet’s phone, distracting her. “I’m sorry, I have to- Hold that thought.”

Courtney tried to see the text that Violet received, but the other girl was too fast.

“Fuck!”

“What’s wrong?”

“Fame is on her way, her driver just texted me and she got in a taxi while he wasn’t looking, now come on.”

Violet grabbed Courtney’s hand and started walking quickly towards their office.

“Hey where are you going?” Courtney looked around, slightly confused. “Is the tour over?”

Violet shook her head. “Fame is never early, everyone else is simply late.” There was a slight panic on her face as she almost pushed her down into her chair, a flurry of activity happening before Courtney’s eyes.

“Stay put, I’ll be right back. Don’t move an inch, understood?”

“Yes Miss!” Courtney grinned, doing a mock salute, not at all catching the serious tone in Violet’s voice.

***

When Fame opened the door to her office that morning, the last thing she expected was seeing a blonde girl standing by the window, clearly taking selfies on what Fame instantly recognized as a company phone.

“What are you doing?”

The blonde turned around, complete panic on her face which was pretty enough, but the lipstick was wrong wrong wrong.

“No-nothing!”

“Oh really? Because to me it looks like you were playing on a company phone in my office.” Fame crossed her arms, staring down at the girl who she tried to place. She knew she had seen her before, but she couldn’t remember where.

“I don’t ever want to see that behavior again, understood?”

The girl nodded frantically. “Yes ma’am.”

That made Fame wince; she hated being called ma’am. She needed someone competent, not this blonde idiot who was standing in front of her.

“What are you doing here?”

“I’m your new assistant ma’am, I’m Courtn-”

Fame held up her hand, effectively shutting Courtney up, now remembering that she had indeed just hired a new assistant last week. Fame looked around, a small smile on her face at the complete makeover her outer office had undergone. Violet was truly an efficient young lady.

“Why is my breakfast not here yet?”

“I, umh, Violet is out getting it right now, we, she showed me around, I, should I go get her ma’am?”

Fame sighed inwardly. It was good her newest assistant was cute, an advantage she would surely need if she wanted to have any chance of surviving in the industry.

“What do you think you should do?” Fames voice was sickly sweet, irritation clear on her face, which had the desired effect on the young blonde.

“Umh, I’ll, I’ll go get-”

Just as Fame was about to open her mouth to tear Courtney a new one, Violet entered the office.

“Miss! Good morning!” Violet was carrying a tray with Fame’s breakfast for the morning, a ginger shot, a bowl of porridge and a big latte on a tray while her other hand was holding onto no less than two black bags and a portfolio.

“Ah, there you are Violet. I hope my breakfast will still be hot.”

“Of course Miss.”

Fame took of her jacket, dropping it on Courtney’s desk before making her way into her office, taking her coffee cup from Violet’s tray. Just before entering the room she turned around, the same sweet smile on her lips which didn’t quite reach her eyes.

“Oh, and Violet. I don’t understand why it’s so difficult to make sure my driver is where I need him to be.”

“I’m sorry Mi-”

“I don’t care about your excuses. I hope today will run smoothly, we do not have time to dilly dally. Get me Raja, I need to speak with her.”

“Yes Miss, right away.” Violet was already over by the landline, ready to dial Raja’s number.

“Also, Violet. One last thing.” Fame turned a little, looking directly at Courtney, making eye contact, even as she was talking to Violet.

“I thought you found an adult for me when I asked for a second assistant, not a child who is good for nothing but playing on her phone and taking unauthorized selfies when she should be making herself useful. She is your successor and her performance is a direct reflection of your leadership abilities, so do not fail me.”

“Yes Miss, sorry Miss, it won’t happen again.”

“That’s all.” Fame smiled to Courtney, taking a sip of her coffee before she turned around, gesturing to Violet that she should follow her into her office.

***

Courtney was sitting completely frozen in her chair, staring at Fame’s closed door. She couldn’t remember the last time anyone had talked to her like that.

Even if it felt like eternity, it was only a few minutes later that Violet came out of Fame’s office.

“Is she going to fire me?”

Violet turned, looking at Courtney as if she had forgotten she was even there.

“Oh, no, no, don’t worry about it.” Violet pointed at Fame’s coat that was still laying on Courtney’s desk.

“Hang that up while I fix this, okay? I don’t understand why it’s so difficult for you to follow instructions, Courtney. I told you to stay put and you didn’t, I told you not to use your phone for anything but work, and what is the first thing you do?”

“I’m sorry…” Courtney had tears in her eyes. No one had ever treated her like this before.

At Courtney’s apology, Violet’s anger completely deflated. “No, no… I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have snapped at you.” Violet quickly got out a tissue, leaning over Courtney’s desk and gently wiping away her tears, holding her head in her hand.

“This is only your first day, of course you don’t know everything yet.” Violet’s thumb caressed Courtney’s cheek,

“I will deal with this, and then we’ll start on a blank slate, okay? You don’t have to worry about anything.”

Courtney nodded a little, a small blush decorating her face at how close Violet was, almost sighing in relief when Violet released her.

“I didn’t have anyone training me, and I don’t want you to have the same experience.”

“Thanks…”

Violet smiled at Courtney before she threw out the tissue, taking a seat at her desk and booting up her computer, quickly typing something.

“I just emailed Roxy, she’ll take care of you until lunch”, said Violet while still looking at her computer screen.

“Who’s Roxy?” asked Courtney.

“She’s our receptionist here at Galactica, she’ll teach you about the company’s systems, along with how to operate a fax machine. She’ll also give you a brief class in how to take care of Fame’s expenses. You won’t have to worry about that for now of course, but one day you will have to.”

Courtney nodded, glad to get a chance to escape from Fame’s presence which loomed over her even with the door firmly closed.

Violet was making a phone call when the door to their office opened.

“Violet, my darling Violet, your beauty is akin to the sun.” Pearl came in, a big smile on her face as she sauntered towards Violet’s desk.

“And like the sun, if you stare too long you’ll go blind,” replied Violet without looking up from her computer. “What do you want?”

"Oh, you wound me! Can’t I visit the loveliest girl in the entire company with pure intentions?” Pearl laughed, clutching her chest as if in pain as she took a seat on the side of Violet’s desk, immediately noticing Courtney while Violet continued to ignore Pearl.

"Oh, who do we have here? You must be the new girl I’ve been hearing about downstairs…Cassidy or Chelsea…I’m not sure about your name. You’re Adore’s friend, right?”

"Yes!” Courtney smiled, thankful someone finally recognized her. “My name is Courtney, I’m Miss Fame’s new assistant.” She had met Pearl once before, but she had been pretty drunk, so this felt like her first time meeting the blonde.

"Well, my name is Pearl Liaison, I’m head of PR & Social Media.”

“Oh, no, I know, Violet already told me.”

“Really?” Pearl smiled, her entire face lighting up. “Are you spreading rumours about me ViVi?”

"Don’t ever, ever, call me that again or I will personally strangle you with an Hermes scarf.” Violet looked up from her computer. “Why are you here? According to the Bulletin you don’t have any meetings with Fame today. Don’t you have something to do, like, run a department?” Violet was tapping her perfectly manicured nails against her desk, growing more and more impatient with Pearl’s distractions.

“Kitty got claws,” Pearl smiled, jumping down from Violet’s desk, landing on her high heels with grace. “I came up to see what you your plans were for this Friday.”

“If it involves going out to one of your "top secret” bars, count me out, I’m still trying to recover from last week.“ Violet smiled. Even if she was annoyed at Pearl, the other woman’s attention still made her heart beat a little faster.

"I have something better and you’ll love me forever. I have two press invites to the Vogue Fashion Fund Awards Show, and I was wondering if you wanted to come with me. It’ll be a ton of fun, there is an open bar and they give out fabulous sponsor bags. Last year Burberry gave out their little ‘Thomas Trench’ teddy bear bag charm, it’s so adorable, even though completely not my style.” Pearl was nonchalantly inspecting the ends of her long hair, trying to pretend that she didn’t care about Violet’s response.

“You know what? Yes, yes, I’d like to go, thank you for asking me.” Violet replied, a small smile on her face even though inside she was screaming with excitement at the prospect of spending an entire evening alone with Pearl.

"Awesome!” Pearl smiled brightly “I’ll give you the rest of the information later. I have errands to run so I won’t be in the office for the rest of the afternoon, but I’ll definitely let you know.” Pearl turned around to leave the office, quickly waving at Courtney. “Nice meeting you, Courtney!”

“Bye Pearl!” As soon as the door closed behind Pearl, Courtney turned to Violet. “Oh my gosh! I thought you said we weren’t allowed to go to events!“ Courtney was staring intently at Violet with her eyes wide.

"We’re not. However, I am not going as an assistant or anyone involved with Galactica. I’m going as Pearl’s plus one.” Violet quickly looked away, the blush creeping back into her cheeks as she busied herself with her computer. “Also, weren’t you supposed to be somewhere?”

Courtney had been completely gone in the daydream of attending a red carpet event when she remembered that she was supposed to be at the reception.

“Shit!”

Violet laughed. “I’ll see you at lunch!”

***

Violet turned on the shower, her delicate hand testing the water, waiting for it to grow hot. She had occupied one of the bathrooms in the apartment, spending the evening on a self-pampering session that had been desperately needed. Who knew that having someone helping her do her job would create twice as much work? It was only the second day of having Courtney in the office, and Violet felt like a babysitter. No wonder her predecessor hadn’t stuck around to train her.

The bathroom was filled with the sweet scent of lavender as Violet had lit several candles, while she had taken a long bath with bubbles and oils in the giant tub the room contained.

Violet stepped into the spray, sighing in relief as the hot water beat down on her sore shoulders and back. So much had happened today, everything running around in her head as she released her hair, covered in a hair mask. No matter how much she tried to keep her thoughts away, they kept turning to Pearl. Violet bit her lip. Pearl had asked her out. Actually asked her out. She turned around, letting the spray wash over her face, a flush creeping into her cheeks as she was aching with arousal. Pearl always tore her apart with a single look, and it was driving Violet insane. The two of them had enjoyed a beer on the couch today after work, or, Pearl had had one and also popcorn while Violet had enjoyed a sparkling water, and they had sat so close Violet could feel Pearl’s heat against her thigh as they had watched a few episodes of Sex and the City.

Violet bit her lip again, shame washing over her as she reached up and grabbed the shower head, leaning back against the wall. Was she really doing this? Her breath was already coming in short gasps as she spread the folds of her sex, careful not to damage herself with her perfectly manicured nails.

Pearl had smelled so good, ready to eat, sweet as a flower with her own scent lingering just underneath. Violet wanted nothing more than to bury her face in Pearl’s neck, disappear into the other’s hair. Violet knew with certainty that Pearl’s breasts would be perfect, they would fit so well in her hands, taste perfect if she kissed them. Violet moaned as the spray hit her, her entire body already humming. She wanted Pearl so badly, wanted to get fucked by the blonde like she had never wanted anyone else before.

“F-fuck… Fuck.”

Violet bit her lip hard, the steady and hard spray beating against her making her legs tremble, her tits so full, her nipples so hard they ached as she imagined what Pearl would look like between her legs. Violet clawed at the wall as orgasm hit her, her vision blinding out for a second which made her throw the shower head away, not even the high of her orgasm helping against the ice cold dread collecting in her stomach. She just had one of the best orgasms of her life thinking about Pearl: her friend, coworker, roommate. Violet had never been more fucked in her life.

***

Katya was humming to herself as she was listening to Dreaming by Blondie on her headphones as she made her way from the elevator to the design department at Galactica. It was Wednesday around lunch and Katya had gotten off early since one of the older kids at school had tried to set fire to the gym.

Katya sneaked into the design department, a big smile on her face when she realized that Trixie was bent over his desk, completely gone from the world as he was busy doing the math for the pattern of a dress so it could be send off to their tailors.

Katya giggled to herself, shushing everyone in the department she made eye contact with before placing her hands over Trixie’s eyes.

“Peek-a-boo, guess who!”

“Argh!” Trixie jumped, his knee slamming into the table he was sitting at. “Fuck!”

“Oh my god, babe, are you okay?”

They could hear laughter from all around them as everyone in the design department had seen the mishap, which made Trixie and Katya laugh as well. Katya giggled as she sat down next to Trixie, giving him a quick kiss.

“Hey…”

“Hey.” Trixie smiled, happy to see Katya who gently patted down his short brown hair, covering Trixie’s emerging bald spot. “What are you doing here?”

“I never see you anymore, so I brought lunch.”

Trixie nodded, stretching a little, his bones popping as he got into a proper upright position.

“I just need to finish this, okay? Then I’ll be there.”

Katya smiled, giving Trixie another kiss. “I’ll be in your office, but don’t take too long, or the food will get cold.” Katya discreetly showed Trixie the inside of her gigantic Hello Kitty bag and Trixie saw not one, not two, but three brown paper bags from McDonald’s.

“You know what, this can wait.”

Trixie lunch break was spent in his office, Katya’s laptop on the table in front of them, playing Pocahontas as they made their way through the greasy and, frankly, perfect food.

***

Violet sighed, the first signs of a headache making their presence known. “Okay Courtney, let’s try it one more time.” Violet smiled, even if the expression was slightly pained. “Here is the flash drive with…?” Violet waited expediently on Courtney.

“Umh… the… umh…”

“The general templates for most the forms and documents for the company.” Violet bit the inside of her cheek. It was Thursday and she was exhausted. “Now, you don’t  _have_  to be able to fill all of these, but if you’re ever out of time with Fame, you need to be able to scan or fax these to Accounting.”

“Which is on the 3rd floor.”

“Yes. Well done Courtney.” Violet smiled again, exasperated.

“Thank you.”

“Now, I’d advise you to make copies of all of those forms and put them on your computer as well just so you’ll have them on hand, okay?” Violet had never met someone who was as charming as Courtney, which was great since she was a complete disaster with computers.

Courtney smiled brightly. “You’re an angel Violet, I’m so happy that you’re helping me with all this because I’d definitely be lost.”

“Don’t mention it.” Violet made her way back to her seat. “You’re learning all of this because Miss Fame expects the best. Remember the company motto.”

“Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work.”

“Exactly.”

Violet smiled, for once pleased with Courtney as she printed out the updated Bulletin.

“Now, remember that you will be in charge of the Bulletin for the rest of the day. It’s going to take a while to get into the swing of Fame’s schedule, but you’ll get used to it. Remember to ask if you have any, and I mean any, questions okay?”

“Okay!”

Violet smiled, the two of them settling into a quiet work mode as they each did their own jobs. Violet had given Courtney the task of sample checking since she had discovered that Courtney loved makeup. Having her make the final colour swap on a palette that needed approving was a million times easier than trying to teach her how to see the difference between anaphe and tussah silk and sort it, which was what Violet was doing.

The first samples and prototypes from the design department were almost done, which meant the first run-throughs could soon start. Ivy had been going back and forth between Raja and Fame like a pendulum all week to make sure the two were on the same page with accessories and what was wanted from the models. Both Raja and Ivy were in Fame’s office right now, looking over the options for shoes that the Art department found.

The landline rang, and Violet picked it up without even looking away from her screen.

“Miss Fame’s office, Violet speaking. Oh, hi Roxy.” Violet tapped away at her computer, checking the calendar. “No we haven’t hired any- They’re in a meeting right now. She says she has an appointment? Well, why are you telling me that? What, you can’t, oh, of course not… No… No… No, that’s ok, you can send her up, tell her she can wait by my desk. Okay, okay great. Bye.”

“Is someone here to see Fame?” Courtney smiled brightly, sitting with her head in her hands, samples completely forgotten as she had been following Violet’s conversation.

“Yes.” Violet snapped, then remembered that it wasn’t Courtney’s fault she was an idiot, so she took a deep breath. “One of our main models is here, but I don’t know why. I can’t find a reason in any of the department’s calendars.” Violet bit her thumb, quickly checking her mail to see if she had missed anything. Fame hated double bookings and would get very annoyed with her if the fault was hers, but as far as Violet could see, everything was in perfect order.

Someone knocked on the door, and Courtney sing-songed. “Come in~”

“Hey Violet, I’m sorry for disturbing you.” A soft yet silky voice greeted the girls as the door opened.

“It’s not a problem, Raven.” Violet smiled, even if she didn’t know why Raven was here, she was still excited to see the other girl. “It’s just a surprise to see you here unexpectedly. Is there anything I can do for you? Do you want a refreshment while waiting?”

“Water would be great.”

“Coming right up.” Violet stood up, disappearing into the tiny kitchenette that was connected to their office.

“Oh my gosh, you’re… you’re Raven….” Courtney pointed, complete awe on her face as she watched the tall, dark-haired woman come into the room.

“And you’re new.” Raven took off her sunglasses, effortlessly placing them in her hair.

“Who are you?”

“My name is Courtney!” Courtney smiled brightly as she stood up, extending her hand towards Raven for a handshake which Raven reluctantly took. “I’m Miss Fame’s new personal assistant, Violet is training me!”

“Ah, I’ve heard about you, I’m Raven, but I guess you already knew that…” Raven smiled, her perfect face even more beautiful as she released Courtney’s hand.

“Are you kidding me? Seriously, oh my gosh. I admire your work so so much, the Dolce & Gabbana show you did last year for their Summer Resort collection was amazing!”

“Thank you.” Violet returned with the water, which Raven took with a small smile and an air kiss to Violet’s cheek. “The crew worked very hard but it was a lot of fun. Being a muse isn’t always easy, but getting to have a paid holiday in Italy makes up for it.”

Courtney looked like a child on Christmas day, joy etched into her expression.

“Wow, that sounds like paradise. I used to model when I was younger.”

“Mmh?” Raven was only halfway listening as she looked at the makeup samples on Courtney’s desk. She picked up a lipstick, showing it to Violet who quickly checked a paper and then nodded which made Raven smile before she placed it in her handbag.

“I thought about going back to it but I don’t know, what do you think?” Courtney smiled, almost desperate for the other woman’s attention. Raven was everything Courtney dreamed to be, glamorous, fierce and frankly sex on legs.

“You want my honest opinion?”

“Yes.”

“Keep your day job.”

“Oh…” Courtney could feel disappointment wash over her.

“You’re pretty enough, but a face like yours comes a dime a dozen,” Raven picked out a perfume as well, which Violet shook her head to. “I mean, you may get print work, but it’ll be more commercial modeling and not necessarily contracts for major labels.” Raven smiled apologetically. “You won’t last long in the industry, so you’re better off here.”

“Okay…” Courtney sat down at her desk, feeling and looking a lot like a kicked puppy.

“Don’t be upset.” Raven picked out a few more things before she looked up at Courtney again. “Not everyone is built to be in front of the camera, you’re pretty and you may get some bookings, but full-time high fashion model…I don’t see it.”

Raven turned to Violet, apparently done talking to Courtney. Courtney stuck her tongue out at Raven as soon as her back was turned, which earned her a murderous glare from Violet.

“Is the meeting done soon? I’ve tried texting Raja, but she hasn’t replied yet…”

“Let me check for you.” Violet smiled up at Raven, all pleasant manners and perfect politeness. “It should be. Fame has a telephone interview with Fashionista.com in 30 minutes.” Violet checked her watch, making sure she had the time right. “I’m sure Raja will be with you shortly.” Raven nodded, now picking at the stuff on Violet’s desk, which Violet just let her do. “Courtney, could you go get coffe-”

“No, no. I completely get what you’re going for. I’ll have one of them call the tailor to make those adjustments and forward the information to design. Violet, Violet, come here!”

The door to Fame’s office opened and Ivy came out while Raja and Fame appeared to view. Ivy quickly disappeared down the hall with two clothing racks and some tote bags after a quick wave and a bright smile to Raven. Violet was up in a flash, but Fame was quicker as she made her way to the front office.

“Why are you not ready, Violet? How do you have anything better to do then- Oh. Raven.” Fame smiled, a bright genuine smile on her face. “How are you my darling, what are you doing here? Have we kept you waiting? Violet, why is Raven waiting out here, do you not understand the concept of an approved list?”

“Miss, I-”

“It’s my fault!” Raven quickly stepped in, a sweet smile on her face. “I’m sorry, I know Raja has me on her approved list but I just love talking to Violet and then before we knew it, the meeting was already over. No harm done.” Raven elbowed Violet quickly, getting the other to nod to back up her story, which made Fame calm down instantly.

“Good.”

“Raven, is that you?” Raja appeared in the door, her entire face lighting up when she saw Raven and quickly went over to kiss her.

"Yes!” Raven smiled. “I’m here to take you out for lunch. You do have time, right?”

"Aww love, thank you! You must have read my mind about wanting to see you.” Violet had sat down at her desk again, ignoring the conversation that was going on in front of her when she noticed Courtney was staring at Raja and Raven, her mouth slightly open.

Raven smiled and leaned in for yet another sweet and quick kiss while Violet was sending angry e-mails to Courtney, trying to get the other’s attention.

“I figured you hadn’t had lunch yet, and since I was in the area anyway I thought we could see each other, especially since I’m flying out to Dubai tomorrow.” Raven blushed a little.

“You are too adorable.” Fame laughed as she had watched the exchange, genuine happiness on her face while Violet’s headache had grown to full strength as Courtney was still staring straight at them.

“Don’t be jealous that my beautiful fiancée wants to spend time with me before she leaves while your husband is in Toronto.” Raja turned to Fame, a teasing smile on her face, and then something happened that Violet thought she hallucinated. Fame started jumping up and down like a college sorority girl.

“Oh my god! Are you kidding me? Congratulations! Raja, why didn’t you tell me?! Let me see the rings! Quickly!”

Raven laughed as Fame grabbed her hand. “I knew this was new!”

“It is! It’s Black Starr & Frost. I had them custom made.”

“Wow, you picked out a stunning ring for an equally stunning woman, I’m so happy for you.”

“You haven’t even seen Raja’s yet.” Raven laughed, grabbing Raja’s hand to show Fame the ring that was a lot less visible on Raja’s already bejeweled fingers. “She didn’t want a ring, but I told her that if I was getting a ring, so was she.”

Fame inspected the ring, a small smile on Raja’s face as she let the two other females do whatever they wanted.

“You picked very well, Raven, they’re beautiful.” Fame hugged both Raja and Raven tight.  
“I’m so happy for you both, oh, and I fully expect an invitation to your wedding. I won’t take no for an answer. If you need anything, and I mean anything, tell me and we will make it work. What kind of reception are you having? You could rent out The Ritz, oh, or the Prince George Ballroom. Violet, write this down.”

“Yes Miss.” Violet had completely given up on Courtney who was a goner for sure.

Raja laughed, wrapping her arm around Raven’s waist. “Calm down.” Raven giggled at Fame’s obvious excitement. “We’re very grateful, but it’s still very new. We haven’t discussed anything ourselves yet.”

“But when we do, I promise we’ll tell you.”

“You better.” Fame smiled. “I’ll even let you borrow Violet.” This made all three women laugh.

“I just can’t believe a bitter bitch like myself found someone who doesn’t mind my bitterness and shade and still loves me in spite of.” Raja laughed, kissing Raven’s cheek, suddenly extremely vulnerable.

“Raja is so special, and I’m so fortunate that she saw the same in me that I did in her on that very first photoshoot.” Raven smiled and Fame looked like she was about to cry, taking the tissues Violet pushed towards her without a word.

"Life works in mysterious ways, oh, I just feel so much for you.” Fame was crying now, tears running down her cheeks. “Two of my favorite people in the entire world found each other, I can see it in your auras, you’re going, you’re going to be so happy together.” Fame wiped her eyes, taking yet another tissue. “You know what, Raja, take the rest of the day off, spend it together before Raven goes to Dubai.”

“But, Fashio-”

“No, I won’t hear it. Take the day off.”

Raja smiled, almost embarrassed by Fame’s support for them.

“Thank you…”

“Get out of here, you two, before I ruin my makeup even more!” Fame waved them off, the other two laughing. "Have a safe flight, and I’ll see you whenever you get back.”

“Thank you!” Raven smiled, leaving the office while Raja hung back to gather her things.

"When did I get so lucky?” Raja sighed, talking quietly to Fame, both of them smiling while Raja watched her fiancée’s curvy hips sway back and forth as she strolled away. “Hey… wait a minute, babe, are those my shoes?!” Raja gathered her stuff, quickly running after Raven.

Fame dried her eyes, throwing away her tissues before taking a deep breath, her attention on Violet.

“Get Alaska up here, or Kim if Alaska doesn’t have time, then call Fashionista.com and tell them I need an extra 10 minutes, is the silk coming along? I expect to see it as soon as the interview is over. Where is my coffee? Also, Courtney.”

“Yes Miss?”

“It’s impolite to stare. That’s all.” Fame went into her office, closing the door which finally gave Violet the opportunity to look right at Courtney.

“I am going to kill you.”

***

“Violet! Your new furniture just arrived!” Max had been in the kitchen when the doorman had called, telling him that they had just received four big boxes of what they assumed was furniture. Max waited a little for Violet’s reply, but nothing came even with the door to Violet’s room open, light leaving it.

“Violet? Violet, I know you’re home!” Max walked over, opening the door to Violet’s room, slightly annoyed at being ignored.

“Do you want me to help yo-” Max stopped dead in his tracks, watching Violet was standing in the middle of her room in nothing but her underwear and her heels with three dresses in front of her on the wall.

“Max! Oh thank God!”

Before Max knew it, the box of Indian food that was waiting for him in the kitchen, as well as the furniture down in the reception were completely forgotten.

“So… You’re going to the Vogue Fashion Fund party?”

“Mmh…” Violet looked down, not really answering his question.

“With Pearl…”

“Mmh…”

Max bit his lip. He had known from the moment that Violet moved in that she was madly in love with Pearl. It was written all over her entire face every time she looked at the blonde, how she would blush and stammer; how shy she would get. Max and Violet had worked together for over a year, but it wasn’t until Violet moved into the apartment that Max had seen any signs other than pleasant politeness and quiet competence from her.

Max loved Pearl with all his heart, he would go through fire for her, but Pearl wasn’t a good person when it came to how she treated women. Max had seen Pearl parade girl after girl through the apartment, had seen model after model getting their heart broken, how Pearl could treat a girl like a queen one day and completely ignore her the next. Max was just about to tell Violet not to get her hopes up, but then he made a decision.

“What about the blue gown?”

Violet eyes lit up as she grabbed the dress he was talking about. “Oh course Max, you’re a genius!”

Max smiled, standing up from the armchair he had been in, ready to help Violet into her dress.

He was first and foremost her friend, and Violet was old enough to make her own mistakes, even if he knew Pearl would most likely break her heart. Max closed the zipper and picked up a hairbrush from the nightstand, gesturing towards the bathroom that he would love to help Violet get ready.

Maybe Violet was just what Pearl needed, and if she had invited her out, actually invited her, and that had to mean something.

***  
  
“Violet, come on! We’re going to be late, the car is waiting!” Pearl checked her bag one last time. Phones, camera, press badges and her wallet. She had already made a deal with one of her photographer friends and brought some of his red carpet pictures, so she didn’t have to worry about that. Pearl checked her makeup one last time in the hall mirror. “Violet! Now!”

“I’m coming, I’m coming.”

Pearl turned around, ready to make a sex joke when she turned around and saw Violet, so beautiful Pearl lost her breath a little.

“Sorry, sorry!” Violet smiled a bit, tugging some of her hair behind her ear. “I can’t really run in this dress or these shoes.” She stopped in front of Pearl, turning around to show off her outfit. “Do I look okay?” Pearl nodded, still slightly lost for words. Violet was a vision in pale purple and sparkling silver, her hair carefully arranged in soft curls that Pearl recognized as Max’s work.

“Oh thank God.” Violet smiled, clearly relived. “I was worried I was going to be too casual or too formal, but judging from the gown you have on, I guess I’ll be ok… You, umh, you look really beautiful… I really like the silver on you…” Pearl laughed over Violet’s insecurity and her quick, almost tumbling way of talking, before leaning over to kiss Violet’s cheek, careful not to smudge her lipstick.

“I’ll be the luckiest girl at the party”, Pearl smiled.

“Why?”

“Because I’ll have you as my date.” At this, Violet blushed completely. “Now let’s get going! I’m all for being fashionably late, but I still have a job to do, and we both know how Fame gets if you don’t deliver.” Pearl smiled again, taking one last good look at Violet before she held out her arm for the other to take.  
  
***

Violet had never felt more humiliated in her life.

The evening had gone so well at first, the two of them arriving at the red carpet, Pearl walking it while Violet had stayed behind. The prize ceremony had been amazing, their seats front and center which meant that Violet had had the chance to really see the winning designs, but then, everything had started going to hell the minute the after party started. Violet had volunteered to go get drinks for them, thinking that it was a date, an actual real date, but then when she came back Pearl had been dancing with a girl that Violet recognized as a manager from the Calvin Klein store, the two of them making out on the dance floor. Violet felt nausea rise in her body, the girl was everything she was not, which made the fact that Pearl had chosen her even worse. The girl was tiny and curvy, her dress showing off her breasts, her short red hair framing her face perfectly. She was gorgeous, and suddenly Violet felt completely disgusting in her own body, too tall, too mannish, too thin. Shame made Violet’s entire skin itch as she dropped the drinks, quickly making her way to the lounge, desperate to get away.  
  
***  
  
Violet was sitting in the corner of the main bar. Pearl had her cloakroom number plate, so she couldn’t get her coat and bag, but there was no way she was going to let Pearl see her like this as tears silently made their way down her face.

“Hey lovely eyes, how come you’ve got such lovely eyes?”

Violet took a deep breath, trying to stop the tears silently falling from her eyes, a small shy smile on her face, not looking up from her drink. “Did you come up with that pick up line all by yourself?” Her hair was thankfully covering most of her face.

A handkerchief made its way into Violet’s field of vision, and she took it wipe away the tears from her eyes, carefully placing it back on the table.

“Thank you…” Violet fiddled with her napkin. “Not many men have Frank Leder handkerchiefs these days…” The man laughed, and Violet smiled a little, glad she could at least make someone feel good while she herself felt like shit. “Can I… Can I maybe buy you a drink?

“How about I get you one instead, and when I get back you can tell me what’s wrong?”

Violet didn’t even have time to say no before the man was gone. She fixed her makeup, waiting for the mystery man to come back. And when he did, she took a good look at him and recognized everything: the nose, the eyes, the same toffee brown skin.

“Oh my god, you’re Sutan Amrull, you’re Raja’s twin brother.” Violet grabbed her bag, standing up ready to run, when Sutan gently placed his hand on top of hers.

“Hey, hey. You’re the first girl who knows who I am and then runs away.” Sutan smiled. “Have a drink with me, I promise I’ll behave.”

Violet took a deep breath, wanting to leave, but the heat of Sutan’s hand felt good, comforting and anchoring in a way she really, really needed right now.

“Fine…” Violet sat down, gently taking the drink Sutan pushed towards her.

“Well, since you know my name and relations, may I have yours?” Sutan gently asked the still teary-eyed woman sitting in front of him.

“My name is Violet…” Violet didn’t offer up where she worked, but thankfully Sutan didn’t press.

“Thank you for the drink. I’m sorry for freaking out… Tonight, well, this entire week really, has been… interesting. And tonight was just the last drop”, said Violet while dabbing at her eyes. “I can’t believe I’m telling you this.” She finished, laughing in disbelief at herself. “I’m sorry, I’m not normally like this.”

“Well, I’ve always been told I am a great listener, and no one, especially a stunning woman on a beautiful night like this, deserves to sit and cry alone”, replied Sutan while leaning forward onto his elbows on the table in order to listen to Violet closely. “Stay with me, and I’ll get you a car when you’re done, okay?”

“Thank you…”

***

Pearl was looking for Violet when she saw her sitting at the bar, a man Pearl couldn’t recognize with his arm around her, the two of them in a quiet conversation, Violet laughing. Pearl saw red. How dared she? This was Pearl’s game, Violet was her guest and Violet was supposed to be sitting alone now, heartbroken so Pearl could swoop in and be the hero, so that Violet would be grateful for her attention.

Pearl flagged a waiter, angrily giving the girl Violet’s cloakroom number plate before Pearl turned around, ready to hunt down the girl she had been making out with earlier and take her anger out on her with the best sex the girl would ever have.

***

“Careful!” Violet broke their kiss, gasping a little. “It’s a Gabbana.”

Sutan laughed. “Fuck, I know baby, I know, I’ll be careful.”

The two of them were tucked away in the alley outside of Violet’s apartment building. Violet had not planned this at all, but Sutan had insisted on giving her a ride in his private car, and all of a sudden they were making out in the backseat.

Violet gasped as Sutan picked her up and slammed her into the wall.   
His hands were everywhere, holding her up, her legs around his hips and her arms around his neck and he was such a good kisser.  
Violet had never done anything like this before, but Sutan felt so good against her, his hands that she had fallen in lust with at the bar perfect on her body and he smelled so good, his hair so soft and the scruff of his beard against her neck sending shivers through her body.

All sense of time completely disappeared as she and Sutan rocked against each other.

“Babe… Babe”

Sultan stopped immediately at Violet’s breathless words, pulling away from her neck, his pupils completely blown with arousal.

“Stop, I have to… I.. I’m so-”

Sutan nodded, understanding what Violet was saying right away.

“Hey, hey, no, no.”

Sultan gave Violet kiss, smiling at the slight beard rash she had on her face, and gently folded Violet’s dress down. The action making her shiver.

“I’ll call you tomorrow, okay?”

Violet nodded, blushing even more as Sutan helped her down, gently placing her back on the ground when she realized that they had never exchanged numbers, and that Sutan didn’t even knew her last name.

“But, but you don’t have my number.”

“When I say I’ll call, I’ll call.” Sutan smiled, flagging his car.

Violet blushed, waving a little, suddenly feeling shy as Sutan made his way to his car which had waited for him before she made her way up to the apartment, not sad anymore.

***

Text: Hey babe

Text: Who’s this?

Text: A tall, dark, handsome stranger ;)

Text: Which stranger? ;)

Text: Don’t tell me you forgot about me so soon? I’m wounded and appalled.

Text: Give me a hint. Was the stranger tall, tattooed, with the most perfect caramel skin and delicious greying hair?

Text: So you do remember me. I’m glad I made a lasting impression ;)

Text: Oh you did, you really did.

***

“Violet! Come on, dinner’s getting cold!”

“I’m coming Max, just a second!

***  
  
SUTAN: Where did you get the dress? I haven’t seen any mortal wear anything from the Dolce and Gabbana spring collection as well as you have.

VIOLET: What do you mean, mortal?

SUTAN: Not a model.

VIOLET: How do you know I’m not a model?

SUTAN: No model would ever be able to tell the brand of a handkerchief from a single look.

***

“Violet, hey… I’m really sorry about the part - Hey, hey, Violet, where are you going, come back! Don’t close the door, Vi-Violet! Violet! I’m trying to talk to you. You can’t just ignore me forever, okay, we live together!”

***

SUTAN: You still haven’t told me where you work, Miss Violet.

VIOLET: Can’t you figure it out yourself Mr. I’ll call when I say I’ll call ;)

SUTAN: Be careful or I will.

VIOLET: Big words, big words.  
  
***

“What are we watching?”

“10 Things I Hate About You.” Katya smiled and looked up at Trixie who sat down next to her, quickly snuggling in, grabbing the big bowl of popcorn Katya had made. Her and Violet had been having a movie marathon for most of Sunday. Katya was knitting a sweater for Trixie and Violet was pretending to embroider, but in reality she was just sitting with her phone, a smile on her face whenever Katya wasn’t looking.

“This is one of my favorite scenes, don’t you- Oh my God, Violet, who are you texting all the time?” Katya paused the movie, an annoyed expression on her face.

“No one…”

Katya huffed and crossed her arms, not taking Violet’s answer at face value.

“Katya, it’s no one…”

“Katya, leave Violet alone, she clearly doesn’t want to talk about it.” Trixie reached over Katya, grabbing a handful of popcorn, which earned him a grateful look from Violet when Katya reluctantly turned the movie back on.

Violet smiled shyly at Trixie over Katya’s head, giving her a small thumbs up, to which Trixie replied with a thumbs up of his own, and a smile.

***

Courtney was making her way down to makeup. Fame had dismissively sent her down to get the final plans for the upcoming IMATS, even if Violet wasn’t in the office. Violet had told her several times that she was never ever ever allowed to leave the office if she wasn’t there, but there was no way in hell that Courtney would disobey a direct order from Fame.

Courtney opened the door to the makeup department, tapping on the wall to announce her arrival.

“Hello?”

“Hiiiie!”

Courtney smiled when she heard Alaska’s characteristic greeting. It was only her second week at Galactica, but she had seen the makeup editor a few times and she loved the woman’s style. Alaska often showed up to works wearing prints and accessories Courtney couldn’t imagine anyone else wearing, while Alaska looked like a supermodel as she walked down the hallways of Galactica.

Courtney waved quickly to all of the employees in the makeup department as she made her way to Alaska’s door. The assistant looked on with envy as everyone was working, and honestly, she wanted to do this a million times more than getting coffee for Fame at exactly 180 degrees. That, or fulfilling her real dream, which was a career in music.

“Hey Alaska.”

Alaska turned around, looking at Courtney, a bright smile on her face. “Hey Court! What do you want?”

Courtney perked up at Alaska’s words. It felt like one of the first times anyone in the company had shown such a positive attitude towards her, and certainly the first time anyone had given her a nickname.

“I’m here to pick up the IMATS plans…”

“Really?” Alaska smiled and stood up, finding them for her. “Next time, just call down here and I’ll have one of my girls bring it up. Do you want a cup of tea or are you busy?” Alaska gestured towards the little kettle she had in her office, and in that moment Courtney made a decision. Her and Alaska would be friends, even if it was one of the last things she did at the company.

“I’d love to.”

***

Violet was standing outside of Galli, a wine tasting bar in SoHo. The early September air was slightly chilly, so she wrapped her open jacket a little closer around her. She had arrived 5 minutes early, using all her self-restraint not to show up 15 minutes early like she actually wanted to; having buried herself in cleaning up all the small loose ends she had left behind after having Courtney in her office for almost two weeks, like changing the ink in the printer, restocking the fridge and buying new office supplies.

The clock was ticking, and Violet was growing more and more worried that Sutan wouldn’t show up.

They had texted the entire weekend and even most of Monday until he, finally, asked her out on a date.

Violet found her phone, her nail tapping against the screen as checked her messages, her other hand tugging anxiously on the edge of her dress.

“Hey lovely eyes.”

Violet turned around, smiling as she saw Sutan walking towards her in a green suit. He looked great, the suit perfectly fitted and his hair fixed in a way that was just stylish enough that it still looked effortless.

“Hey…”

“Have you waited long?” Sutan checked his watch, smiling teasingly as he was right on time.

Violet shook her head, gently biting her lip. “No.” They briefly hugged and Sutan grabbed Violet’s hand giving her a twirl, which made her laugh in surprise.

“You look perfect.”

Violet smiled and blushed. Sutan was so sweet and attentive, something she normally hated in a man, their compliments often just feeling like a cheap way to try to get her into bed. With Sutan however, it was different, maybe because she knew that he saw the small things. He saw her as something more, a gallery hall in which pieces of art were put on display whenever she dressed herself. He saw how much time she spent on curating herself to perfection instead of just a piece of meat they only wanted to fuck.

***

“Here.” Sutan smiled, giving Violet a glass of wine. “It’s a Cabernet Sauvignon.”

“Thank you.” Violet smiled shyly, careful not to ruin her lipstick as she took a sip. The wine was bold, tasting slightly of cherries and even a little of pepper. Sutan held up the bucket for Violet, letting her spit before he sat it down again.

“Do you like it?”

“Mmh…” Violet put down her glass, making eye contact with Sutan. “But I’m not usually in a position where I get to choose between spitting or swallowing on a first date.”

Violet blushed all the way to her ears when she realized what she had said, but Sutan only leaned back and laughed.

The rest of the night went by with the two of them sitting at their table, drinking wine and nibbling on cheese and fruits at the small platters of food that Sutan ordered. Sutan told Violet about his childhood in Indonesia and how he and Raja grew up in Jakarta, until their dad’s business took all of them overseas to America when they were eight.

“So do you speak Indonesian?”

“Ya saya lakukan mata indah”

Violet laughed and clapped, slightly drunk from all the wine.

“Can you teach me?”

Sutan smiled, his hand finding Violet’s knee as he tried to teach her a few simple phrases of Indonesian, like hello and goodbye. Violet was trying her best to learn, but the Indonesian vowels were very far from anything within the English language.

“Apa… Apa, kabeer?”

“Apa kabar Violet, you almost have it.” Sultan smiled. They had moved on the sweet dessert wines as their date was nearing the end.

“This is so much harder than French.”

“You speak French?”

Violet nodded. “Oui mais pas très bien. Je appris au collège.”

Sutan filled Violet’s glass with the bottle they had at their table, despite her laughing protests. “Tu es trés trés bien.”

Violet smiled and grabbed Sutan’s glass, letting him fill it again as well, the fact that it was a Thursday completely forgotten.

“If anyone here is “bien”, it’s you.” Violet laughed a little, sipping from her glass, still careful of her lipstick. “Now teach me more!”

Sutan laughed at Violet’s bossiness, clearly enjoying the fact that she was no longer as shy. “So what do you want to learn to say?”

“Hmm…” Violet pretended to think about his question, but she already knew what she wanted to learn. “What about my new nickname from you…” Violet smiled teasingly, heat pooling in her belly as she looked into Sutan’s dark eyes. “How do you say ‘lovely eyes’? Please?”

Sutan met Violet’s eyes straight on, not looking away at all.

“Oh, that’s easy.”

Sutan smiled, leaning a little closer to Violet.

“It’s ‘matts indah’. But you are so much more than just lovely eyes, my dear. Anda mencolok Violet antara mawar, dan saya sangat senang berada di sini dengan anda.” Sutan reached up, gently tucking a strand of Violet’s black hair behind her ear, the gesture making Violet almost lose her breath. He was so close to her, all she needed to do was lean a little closer, and they could kiss.

“What did you say? It sounded so beautiful… almost like a song.” Violet bit her lip, Sutan’s voice low and dark, sending shivers down her spine as he spoke. She felt ready to snap as she discreetly clenched her thighs together, thankful for the tightness of her dress.

“I said ‘You are a striking Violet amongst roses, and I am so happy to be here with you.’ Words spoken in honesty should sound beautiful up the ears.”

“A play on my name then?”

“Mmh.” Sutan smiled, taking a small piece of honey-dipped fig, holding it up for Violet to take. Her face was flushed, and not just from the wine.

“That is one sweetest things anyone has told me, in any language, without having an ulterior motive behind it.” Violet gently lowered her head, eating the piece of fig directly from Sutan’s hand. His fingers were warm and dry against her lips, a faint smell of sassafras clinging to his skin.

“Why should I lie about the beauty before me? That is a fool’s trait, and I am no fool…“

Violet looked up, her breath leaving her as she made eye contact with Sutan, his desire for her radiating from him. Violet had never felt stronger or more beautiful than she did in that moment, like she was a witch and Sutan was under her spell.

“Drive me home… Please.”

***

Sutan had never been more grateful for the fact that he had a private driver and the slow speed of traffic in New York.

Violet was in his lap again, all he had been able to think about the entire weekend, as they kissed, her sweet mouth against his, the faintest taste of honey on her tongue. She was beautiful in a way he hadn’t seen in years, graceful and poised and so tightly wound, a mystery and an open book at the same time.

“Fuck…” Sutan broke their kiss, a smile on his face, his hands almost bruising Violet’s hips with their grasp.

“You have lipstick on your face.” Violet’s thumb gently caressed his bottom lip, her voice almost a whisper as she traced the pattern her blood red lips had left behind.

Sutan caught Violet’s finger in his mouth, giving it a gentle bite which made her gasp. He could feel how wet she was, how hot she was against his thigh, her dress showing off her alabaster skin perfectly, and he couldn’t stop himself anymore. He leaned in, going for the throat first, wrecking the sweetest sounds from Violet’s mouth as he nipped at her skin, oh, how he had missed that. Her arms wrapped themselves around him as he made his way over her collarbone, down her throat, and then, then he was kissing the top of her breast, the flesh tender and soft against his lips, and he wanted more like he had never wanted anything else in his life.

A gentle tug; he just wanted to see, just a little, but what met his eyes was not the lace or satin of a bra, but instead the dusty pink of a hard nipple. Violet was naked, right in front of him.

“Oh God.” He hadn’t even noticed how Violet’s face has gone completely red, embarrassment obscuring her beautiful features as she quickly tried to covered herself up with her free hand. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t, I didn’t think, you can’t wear a, oh God, I’ve never been more emba-”, Violet panicked.

Sutan leaned forward, placing a gentle kiss on the back of her hand, euphoria coursing through his body as Violet became quiet, her hand slowly moving, giving him access to what he wanted most, letting him leave a bright red teeth mark in the flesh of her breast, ready to become hidden by a bra, a secret the two of them shared. She was perfect.

“Come home with me… Please.”

Time seemed to stand still as he watched emotions flicker over Violet’s face: uncertainty, fright, but then, as soon as he said the word ‘please’, a serene, relaxed expression settled on her face, like the little word had been the key to her trust.

“There’s nothing I’d love more.”

 


	4. Chapter 4

On Thursday morning, a roar sounded through Galactica, as Fame had finally approved the last of the changes to the spring collection. Trixie blasted “We are the champions” on repeat so loud that no one on the entire 20th floor got anything done as he popped several bottles of champagne, serving it to everyone in everything from empty Starbucks cups to glass jars as they were finally, finally, finally free after more than two weeks of constant soul crushing hope smashing hard work.

***

“No, you can’t go.”

“But Violeeet.” Courtney whined, laying over her desk, looking at Violet with gigantic puppy dog eyes. Everything in their office was basically shaking along to the rhythm of We Will Rock You from the floor below. “Pleeease.”

“No.”

“Why do they get to party, and not us? It’s not fair!”

“Because it’s our time to work now, so be quiet and get to it, there are a tough few weeks ahead.”

Even though Violets words were harsh, Courtney didn’t feel cut by them, she didn’t even feel intimidated by the fact that Violet apparently didn’t think of the last two weeks as tough, all she could think about was glow that came from the other woman.

“You’re seeing someone.”

“What? No!” Violet blushed all the way to her ears.

“Oh my god you are, you totally are!”

“Shut up!” Violet almost looked panicked as she desperately gestured towards Fame’s closed door.

“Come on we both know that things sound proof. Tell.me.everything! Who is it, do I know them?!”

“Courtney drop this right no-”

“Is it someone I know? Have you had sex already.” And then she realized. “Oh my god.. It’s Pearl, it’s Pearl isn’t it?”

“No!” Violet didn’t even realize she had yelled the last word until she had already done it. She slapped her hand over her mouth, looking completely mortified. The both sat in complete silence as they watched Fame’s door, waiting to see if she had noticed.  
Violet had spent almost every moment the last two days either texting Sutan or working. They had even had lunch together yesterday, Violet quickly hiding everything that could identify her as an assistant at the bottom of her handbag. Sutan had given her a sweet kiss on the street that made her week in the knees before his driver had taken her back to Galactica. All of it was perfect, except for the lingering hurt that overshadowed everything each time she saw Pearl.

Violet gave a sigh of relief as Fame apparently hadn’t noticed them before she turned to Courtney, hissing through gritted teeth.

“Don’t pretend like you know me Courtney… Okay? We’re coworkers, and we might become friends, but right now, I’m your superior, and I need you to respect that, okay?”

Courtney nodded, the light in her completely turned off compared to the happy bubbly girl she had been only minutes before. Violet felt like she had kicked a puppy, and she instantly felt bad.

“Why don’t you go join the party while I prepare the boardroom for the editors meeting, okay?”

Courtney lit up, the smile reappearing on her face.

“Really?! But you just said-”

“Yes really, now go. Have fun. You have 30 minutes.”

“Thank you.”

***

Pearl was in a horrible mood. The boardroom was filled to the brim with people from the different departments, there were even a few interns and it made the room hot and uncomfortable to be in.

Pearl had been fuming on the inside since last Saturday where Violet had closed her door right in Pearl’s face. No one had never done anything like that to Pearl, and now she was apparently dating someone if anything Trixie said these days could be believed with the level of sleep deprived her best friend had reached.

Violet was tripping around the edge of the boardroom, clearly anxious since she had little to no control of the situation. Normally everything would have been perfectly crisp, neat and organized which was not the words anyone could use to describe the situation they were in now. Pearl smiled, satisfied, to herself when she could see Violet practically scream on the inside when Kim Chi dropped part of her meatball sandwich down on the table, using her meeting agenda to wipe the sauce away.

Pearl leaned back in her chair, everything suddenly a lot less irritating now that Violet was officially losing it.

***

“Alyssa, I want invites send out as soon as possible, you can borrow Laganja to get it done. Trixie, I know you have worked incredibly hard but I need you do to the home stretch and prepare a backstage team for Fashion Week, I want everything double and triple checked. Pearl, find every contact you can and make them aware of our show. Violet confirmed the location yesterday and has found a garden team that can hopefully transform our venue into the tropical jungle we wanted. Ivy, I expect you to run the style department for the next few days while we rebook our models, and yes Trixie, we will try to stay close to your vision. Raja is pulling in favours right now and we hope we can get everything confirmed Monday. You’re dismissed. Oh, and Kim, please clean up after yourself before you leave.”

***

Trixie stepped out of his taxi, looking around as he put his wallet into his fannypack. He loved Katya, but he didn’t trust her students or the part of Brooklyn that Katya worked in at all. Nothing could ruin his mood today though, he was finally free after weeks of constant sewing, of spending countless hours in the fabric district looking for just the right shade, to endless phone calls with their suppliers, tailors and the long discussions with the botanist at The Royal Botanic Garden in Kew in England trying to get a hold of Marianna Norths original drawings.

When Trixie finally found Katya, she was standing on the east side of the school, her blonde hair collected in a high ponytail, her feet in wellies and a pair of overalls on as she was painting the wall in front of her. Right now Katya was working on a giant sun, so her hands, clothes and hair was covered in yellow and orange shades of paint.

“Hey Miss! I don’t have a library card, but do you mind if I check you out?”

“What?!”

Katya turned around, an angry scowl on her face, until she realized that it was Trixie who had called to her.

“Sugarbutt!!” Katya ran over to Trixie, her shoes making a whoosh sound with each step before she jumped into Trixie’s arms, covering the both of them in paint.

“What are you doing here?”

“We’re finally finished with the collection, so I came to see you when Max told me you weren’t home.” Trixie laughed as Katya clung to him like a tiny koala cub, the two of them enjoying being in each other’s company again after way too long without actually seeing each other.

“Why aren’t you home?” Trixie smiled, looking up at Katya, kissing her nose and the paint there.

“I’m painting! Look!” Katya wiggled until Trixie put her down. On the wall of the building which was half grey and half an explosion of color.

“I’m painting the ocean.” Katya smiled brightly. “This will be the coral reef and over here is the sunken ship with the scaaaarry ghosts and then way over there.” Katya pointed “I’ll make Atlantica with all different kinds of mermaids!”

Trixie looked around, the wall was truly gigantic, his own smile matching Katya’s. “So you finally won against your principal?”

“Well, not exactly.” Katya had grabbed her pencil again, continuing on the sun. Katya had worked for the last year to get a cut of the school’s budget to decorate the courtyard where the youngest students spend their breaks.

“What do you mean not exactly?”

“We didn’t have the funds to buy the paint and hire a painter, so I now I’m doing it myself!”

“Katya, are you committing vandalism on your own school?!”

“No, no of course not!” Katya held up her hands. “Or… I guess, technically I am, but I made a deal with the principal. If I pay for the materials and do the painting myself, he won’t sue. It’s practically win, win!” Katya smiled, a small uncertainty in her eyes, knowing that it was technically illegal.

“Well, in that case.” Trixie smiled, picking up one of the brushes. “What part do you want me to work on?”

“We need a colony of clown fishes over there.”

“Colony of clown fishes coming right up Miss Zamolodchikova!” Trixie did a mock salute, immediately starting to fill out the sketches that Katya had done.

“Hey Trixie...”

“Yes?”

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”

***

Violet walked into Galactica, a large cup of coffee in her hand and sunglasses on her face as she had only done the minimal amount of makeup required in the taxi on her way to work. Sutan had talked her into staying until the last possible minute that morning so Violet had made her route to work go by Starbucks where she had gotten a double espresso and two ginger shots. Violet groaned inwardly as she walked out of the elevator, seeing that Roxy had already come into work.

“Morning gurl!”

Violet smiled halfheartedly, raising her cop as an answer to Roxy’s greeting.

“Do you have anything exciting for me this morning?”

Violet walked over to Roxy, painfully aware of the fact that she was wearing a pair of flats she kept in her gym bag as a pair of after workout shoes, but now she was wearing them to work because of the ache in her hips, praying silently that Roxy wouldn’t notice.

“Yes, the boys from the mailroom came up with all of the editor letters before you got here.” Roxy smiled and placed a big box on the desk, and a few different magazines on top.

“Thanks.” Violet grabbed the magazines and the box. “You’re the best Roxy.” Violet smiled and turned away, grateful for the fact that Roxy hadn’t noticed. Maybe, just maybe she could get away with it, but then she heard it, the smugness in Roxy’s voice as thick as honey.

“Nice shoes by the way, are those the Calvin Klein nudes?”

Violet groaned inwardly, turning to Roxy, a sugar sweet smile on her face even as her eyes were cold.

“They are, thank you for the compliment sweetie.”

Violet quickly made her way out of the reception, Roxy’s laughter following her all the way out.

***

Courtney was sitting at her computer, absentmindedly checking Facebook and drinking a diet coke, enjoying the peace and quiet even though she knew she should be working.

Violet was out of the office, taking a trip to the tailors for Fame who was at a charity function with Patrick so the office was completely quiet. Violet was, if possible, in an even worse mood than normal, snapping at her every chance she got, but Courtney couldn’t figure out why.

The door opens and Courtney jumps, quickly hiding her diet coke behind her computer screen before she grabs the nearest paper, pretending to be working.

“Hey Courtney.” Ivy smiled, the others green shirt making her red hair look stunning. Courtney breathed a sigh in relief. Courtney always felt a little on edge around Ivy since she had never met anyone else who was as genuinely sweet as the girl who was standing in front of her.

“Hey Ivy!” Courtney smiled as soon as she got herself under control. “What’s up? Fame isn’t here right now, and neither is Violet…”

“Oh, I know.”

“You do?” Courtney crinkled her brow, looking at the bags Ivy had placed on the table.

“Then what’s all of this? Are they for Fame? Should I store them here?”

“No Courtney.” Ivy laughed, pushing the bags towards Courtney “They’re for you.”

“Really?!” Courtney looked into the bags and screamed. “Ivy… This is… This is, this is real designer things!”

“I cleaned out the Warehouse, and most of this is too out of date to use for the website or shoots, so you’re welcome to take whatever you want.” Ivy smiled at Courtney’s enthusiasm, not telling her that the bags in front of her were mostly filled with the clothes that no one else wanted either because it was too cheap for anyone who had real access to the Warehouse or simply too big, but it was perfect for Courtney who was a size 6.

Courtney took a bag out of the bag. “Oh my god! This is Marc Jacobs! And what are these? Banana Republic pants!” Courtney smiled, her enthusiasm making Ivy laugh while Courtney emptied out all of the bags, acting like a kid on Christmas as she clapped her hands in happiness over the Mac cosmetics, Stuart Weitzmen shoes and Badgely Mischka dresses.

Courtney looked up at Ivy, tears in her eyes.

“Thank you… Seriously… Thank you so so much Ivy.”

“Don’t mention it, we girls gotta look out for each other.”

***

“Maaaaax! It’s too cold outside, I’m not going out there; if I don’t get a damn cigarette I’m going to cry.” Raven whined, lighting a Newport 100 with a bejeweled lighter, leaning out of the window while she looked over at Max, begging with her eyes for permission to smoke inside while Max frowned.

Max and Raven were in Max’s Galactica studio which was placed on the 20th floor. The studio was one of Raven’s favorite places in the entire Galactica building; Max had decorated the room with soft couches and several sets since a lot of the shooting for Galactica’s webshop happened in here. There was a small coffee machine, tea and even a fruit bowl along with a big room that was filled with basically everything between heaven and earth as it was Max’s prop room.

“Rave, how many times do we have to go over this? Cigarettes aren’t good for you and you’re not allowed to smoke inside.” Max’s tone was gentle, but he was clearly annoyed with the dark haired Russian, even if he had served her a drink when she had gotten there. Raven simply worked better in private where she could let her inner party girl out and not be professional for a while, which was why Max had taken some of Raven’s favorite shots of herself.

“Ugh,” Raven whined, a playful look in her eyes. “Well can I at least smoke half?” Max shook his head. “What if we make a deal?”

“A deal?” 

“Let me smoke in front of the camera, and maybe we can get some shots. I’ll even do it naked so you can finally get those tasteful nudes you have wanted forever.” Raven smiled, her hips moving to the sound of the belly dancer music Max had put on for her, her second drink in her other hand.

“It’ll be a win win, and, I’ll even shoot that horrible hat you love so much.”

“Fine, fine!” Max threw his hands up, a smile on his face even as he sighed in exasperation.

“But just this once, okay? We can’t get caught breaking the rules, or we’ll get fired!”

Raven hugged Max, a giant smile on her face. “Thank you thank you thank you!”

“Just make it quick okay!”

Raven laughed as she grabbed the hat her and Max had fought over earlier off the floor, placing it on her head as she sat down on the chair in front of Max’s camera, her much needed cigarette in hand.

***

Sutan swiped to the right on his phone, while Raja’s face and voice showed up on his iPhone screen.

“Taaaaantaaaann, daaarling brother, loove of my life.” Sutan could see Raja was laying on a couch, a smile on her face as she could finally see Sutan.

“Hey Rajie.” Sutan laughed as he sat down at his desk, popping his phone up in front of him.

“You cool?”

“I’m cool, I’m veeery cool, I’m on set with Raven and Max while they run some test shots for the new collection!”

“Are you drunk?”

“Of course I’m drunk. I texted you yesterday didn’t I? How can I not drink on a Friday when this has happened to me?”

Sutan smiled sympathetically, waiting for the rant he knew was coming.

“I mean; can you believe that Fame wants to start off with a fresh batch of girls!?” Raja groaned, a glass of wine making its way into the frame which she topped up before she continued her rant.

“She claims the ones we had aren’t fitting in with her vision, and then I found a bunch of new ones but noooo, they weren’t good enough!”

“Damn Rajie… That’s tough.” Sutan had heard that Fame had scrapped their original team of models, but not that the second team had come and gone too.

“What are you going to do?” Sutan frowned. It was already a risky move to redesign almost an entirely collection with only two months to spare, but to scrap not one, but two, groups of models less than two weeks before Fashion Week started, well that was just madness.   
Fame was either suicidal or a genius, he just didn’t know which one yet.

“Well.” Raja sat up a little, a big smile on her face. “That’s where my faaaavorite big brother in the whole wide world comes in.” Sutan laughed, he and Raja were twins and technically Raja had been born first but she always called him her big brother whenever she wanted something.

“I know it’s totally, tooootally late notice, and I know that you are only human… but I need get a whole new set of models for the show, and a potential spread to choose from? Please.” Raja was deadly serious as she met his eyes through the video chat, her tone completely changed from her playful drunken state of before.

“I don’t know Raja…” Sutan already felt bad, he hated letting Raja down more than anything in the world. “It’s such late notice, and I have to see what the girl’s schedules looks lik-”

“Oh Sutan please! I really need your help.” Raja downed her wine before setting it down beside her, clearly not happy with the offer she was about to make.

“Tell you what.” Raja clapped her hands together. “How about, for mommy’s birthday, I’ll send her back to Indonesia for at least 2 weeks and pay for everything and say it’s from the both of us?” Raja could see he was taking the bait, so she added her trump card. “I’ll even write her a proper birthdaycard, now please please please say you can help me!”

Sutan sighed.

“Raja, you know that’s going to be a tall order, but I’ll see what I can do.” Sutan smiled, already regretting his decision, but he knew would do anything for his sister.

“Oh thank you Sutan!!” Raja jumped up and down on the couch with happiness. “You’re the best brother ever! I love you so much!!” Raja laughed as she started to make kissy faces at her brother.

“RaveRave! Sutan said he would help!” Raja yelled loudly into the studio were Sutan guessed that Raven was.

“Oh that’s wonderful baby! Tell Sutan I’m mad at him though!” Sutan couldn’t hear Raven, but he assumed she was modeling. Max was a great photographer who gave his models all the space they needed.

“Raven said ‘hey boo’ and that she’s mad at you.” Raja finished her wine and started on making a rum and coke instead.

“What! What did I do Ravey-baby?” Sutan laughed “You know I love you so!” Sutan dramatically flung his arm over his eyes, making Raja laugh.

“You didn’t come to family dinner yesterday you asshole! I made my world famous meatloaf and I even saved you wine. Do you hear me Sutan, I saved you WINE!”

Shit.

“Oh no, I’m so sorry Raven! It totally slipped my mind, I had company over and I literally forgot all about dinner.” Sutan winched, genuinely sorry he had forgotten all about dinner with his older sister, her fiancée and his mother.

“I’ll forgive you, but only if you tell me who had you so occupied, move baby.” Raven appeared on the screen, sitting down next to Raja

“I think he has a little giiirlfriiiend.”

Raja’s entire face was covered in a shit eating grin.

“Come on TanTan who is it? Is it another model? Oh, or even better, is it a vapid NY socialite who can’t tell the difference in a knock off Louis Vuitton bag from the Warehouse District, from a real one.” She finished raising a perfectly sculpted brow, showing that there was clearly history with some of Sutan’s earlier conquests.

“Well it’s not a model or a socialite Raja.”

“What?! Who is she?” Raven grabbed the phone, now 110% invested in the conversation.

“If I told you, it wouldn’t be a surprise now, would it?” Sutan smiled, enjoying his ability to torment Raven.

“Urgh, you’re the worst Sutan!” Raja grabbed the phone. “You never let me have my way!”

“Tell that to the man who is going to get you a whole new set of models at the last minute to work the show, yes, I am indeed the cruelest brother in the entire world.” Sutan smiled, thinking back on his date with Violet the day before. It was still so new and he didn’t want to share her with his sister just yet. He knew Violet worked at Galactica just not in which department, but then again, was there any better place to hide a secret then in plain sight?

“Whatever, you know I’ll get to meet her anyway if she’s special!” Raja sighed, too drunk to keep focus for long. Raja’s phone shook, a ding indicating she had just gotten a text.

“Oh look at that!” Raja smiled like the cat who got the cream. “Mommy just sent me a text, she made curry and she wants us to come get some.” Sutan checked the clock, his workday over in only an hour.

“She said she made too much but we all know it’s because she wants to know why you didn’t show up to dinner.” Raja laughed, a knowing look in her eyes as she gave Raven a quick kiss, gently asking the other girl if she wanted to get some curry.

“Fuck…” Sutan sighed at the thought of their mother chewing him out, but he still loved his family more than anything in the world.

***

Pearl is sitting in her office, her legs on her desk as she folds paper planes and then throws them into her trash can while listening to The Clash.

Pearl doesn’t respond when there is a knock on the door, but Trixie opens it anyway, a smile on his face.

“The clash? Really?”

“Shut up, I’m heartbroken.” Pearl held up her hand, flipping off Trixie, leaning back in her chair and closing her eyes as she turns up her music.

Trixie signed.

“You’re not heartbroken.”

“Am so.”

“Stop pouting Pearl, you were a dick, you’ve always been a dick and now you got kicked in the balls.”

Pearl cracked an eye open, her nose crinkling into a frown.

“You were, and she’s gonna forgive you eventually; but for now we’re going out so you can drink and get over it. Fashion week is coming up and we need you to be on your A game. Now come on.”

Trixie had picked up Pearl’s jacket and threw it at her.

Pearl begrudgingly picked up her jacket, putting it on and following Trixie out of her office.

“Shut up, I’m always on my A game.”

“As if.”

They both laughed, Trixie putting his arm around Pearl as they walked down the hallway.

***

“Are you comfortable, baby?”

Katya and Trixie were together in bed, both of them wearing their matching fluffy pajamas.

Trixie nodded, a smile on his face as he snuggled into Katya’s side. Trixie came home from his bar night with Pearl pretty drunk, so Katya had brushed his teeth and tucked him into bed.

“Good.” Katya smiled and leaned down, placing a sweet kiss on Trixie’s forehead before she picked her book up. She had learned through countless nights in Trixie’s bed that there was that nothing put him to sleep easier than a book he found utterly boring.

“In 2008, a study from the University of Texas at Austin found that, ‘There are many inadequate high school facilities in Texas, and unfortunately many of these are found in areas of low socioeconomic status and high minority percentages.’ The researchers also determined that inadequate high school facilities and poor classroom conditions had a negative impact on students’ academic performance.”

Katya stopped her reading, completely horrified with what she had just read.

Trixie looked up at Katya, a sad look on his face.

“Keep reading baby… Keep reading.”

Katya smiled a little.

“The researchers found that high school students perform better on tests if the classroom has a view of a green landscape, rather than a windowless room, or a room with a view of another building or a parking lot.”

“You’re my green landscape, baby.”

Katya leaned down and kissed Trixie’s little bald spot. “You’re my green landscape too, baby.”

***

The noise from the busy street outside of the apartment building kept Violet company, as a slight breeze and the September sun came in through the open window in her room.

Violet was sitting in her new dove grey armchair, her legs over the arm as she kicked back and forth in time with the beat in her earphones. In her hands, she had a knife and an apple which she lazily cut while getting her breath under control after the power yoga session she had just finished on her floor.

All of a sudden Violet’s door opened, revealing the last person in the entire world that Violet wanted to talk to.

“Hey ViVi… Can we talk?”

Violet groaned, her relaxed, after-workout mode utterly ruined. She begrudgingly took out her earphone and sat up in her chair.

“Haven’t you ever heard of knocking? And don’t call me ViVi.” Violet crossed her arms, annoyance radiating off her entire body, but Pearl didn’t notice at all.

“So you can talk.”

Pearl smiled, swaying a little in the door. It only took a single glance for Violet to see that Pearl had just come home from some kind of party, since she was wearing the same clothes she had had on at work yesterday.

“What do you want?”

Pearl stumbled into Violet’s room, slightly unsure on her feet and Violet was just about to stand up and help her friend when she remembered how pissed off she was.

“Look, I’m like… Sorry or whatever.” Pearls’ hand rummaged around in her hair, showing how uncomfortable she was with the entire thing. Violet couldn’t remember a single time in their almost two year long friendship that Pearl had apologized for anything. “I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

“Well, you did.”

Pearl dumped down on the floor in front of Violet’s armchair.

“I know I did… And…” Pearl hiccuped. “I was being a jerk, it’s not cool to leave your friend hanging like that… Bros before hoes.”

Violet couldn’t keep a small smile off her face. Pearl’s hands had found her legs where she held on as she looked up at her, her big blue eyes filled with regret.

“I’m… I’m kinda sorry too. I, umh… I overreacted.”

Violet bit her lip. She had felt so humiliated, so dumb when she had seen Pearl make out with the store manager on the dance floor. She had felt shame fill her entire body at Pearl’s rejection of her, but that wasn’t Pearl’s fault. She had been the one who had been a fool. Of course Pearl hadn’t asked her on a date, of course it hadn’t been like that, she had just misunderstood. Swallowing all the hurt from Pearl’s obvious rejection.

“I miss being friends with you ViVi… I miss you.”

Pearl leaned against Violet’s chair, her head resting in Violet’s lap.

“I miss you too, Pearlie…” Violet waited for a response that never came, what did come however were the soft snores, since Pearl had fallen asleep. Violet smiled softly and buried her hand in Pearl’s hair.

“We’re okay.”

***

“Patrick! Patrick, come here!”

Patrick looked around, trying to locate the face of his wife in the crowd of poorly-dressed shoppers who were surrounding them.  
Fame had come home last night, fully drained after a long week at the office. When her mood and her energy levels hadn’t recovered after a long bath and a foot massage, Patrick had made a decision.

The Grand Market Place in New Jersey was one of Fame’s favorite places on Earth. Honestly any flea market where Fame could walk around in peace was her happy place. Patrick had gotten their car out nice and early, not telling Fame where they were going until they were well on their way to the Lincoln tunnel where she figured it out.

Patrick finally located Fame, waving at her as he made his way towards his wife, two strawberry melon coolers in his hand, one for each of them.

“Look! Look!” Fame smiled, her entire face lighting up as she held up a small porcelain figurine of a chicken.

“It’s a Royal Copley! See! The stamp is still there!” Fame turned the chicken upside down and showed him the bottom and the brand of the figurine. “It’s an original, I have to have this! It’s an Araucana, my favorite breed!”

Patrick laughed, basking in the joy Fame was radiating. He had sworn on his life that he would never tell anyone that Fame was an avid collector of porcelain animals, but chickens in particular. Her private collection had nearly 100 small chickens meticulously on display in one of Fame’s workrooms.

“I know it is, baby.” Patrick traded the drink and held his hand out for the figurine. Fame took a sip and smiled, not a single complaint falling from her lips over the sweetness of the drink as she turned around and started to argue with the woman in the stall over the price.

Patrick smiled to himself, thankful for the dork of a woman he had chosen to marry. Fame had grown up on a farm, her dad specializing in the breeding of chicken races for competitions all over the country and he loved seeing the side of her she normally kept so carefully hidden from the rest of the world.

Patrick took a sip of his drink, watching his woman. Spending some time outside of New York where literally no one knew either Fame or himself had been the right decision for today. It was liberating in the best of ways and just what they both needed, a Saturday away from the city in the early September sun.

***

Violet hurried out into the lobby of her building, hurriedly putting in her right earring, knowing she only had about two minutes to make it down to the street.

She hadn’t meant to take so long, but to be honest she was nervous. Sutan had invited her out earlier the same day, only telling her that he was taking her to a reception at a museum, but no matter how much she probed he wouldn’t tell her where or for whom...

Violet had changed her outfit again and again and again. Long dresses, short dresses, red, blue and red, Oscar De La Renta, Chanel and Valentino. She had tried all of it on and all of it had felt wrong, wrong, wrong.

She could hear and feel her phone buzzing in her clutch.

“Yes yes yes, calm down, I’m coming!” Violet hissed through gritted teeth. She could see Sutan through the glass door, could see that he was calling her since he had a phone to his ear.

Violet smiled at the doorman who opened the door for her. She pulled her fur a little tighter around herself as she made her way down the stairs.

“I’m here, I’m here.”

Sutan turned around, a smile breaking out on his face as he popped his phone into his pocket and stubbed the cigarette he was smoking.

“Hey, lovely eyes.”

“I didn’t know you smoked.” Violet leaned into a hug, crinkling her nose a little at the smell of tobacco on her man.

“I don’t.” Sutan took Violet’s hand and spun her around, looking at her outfit as he always did whenever they met. His smile of approval made warmth spread in Violet’s stomach. “But Raja has me by the balls with this whole model thing… I have everyone working on it and it’s stressing me out.”

Sutan leaned forward, ready to get a hello kiss, but Violet laughed and turned her head to the side, clearly indicating to him that she wasn’t going to kiss someone who had just smoked.

Sutan smiled and gave her ass a quick slap, which made Violet yelp.

“Get in the car, you little minx.”

“Yes sir.”

Violet smiled, looking forward to a night in the company of Sutan.

***

“How long does it take to get there?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know.” Sutan smiled. “You’re not the only one who can keep secrets.”

Sutan had held the door open and helped Violet into the car, and now they were slowly making their way through the city.

“Fine.” Violet smiled, shimmering out of her fur, the car considerably warmer than the evening air outside, revealing her long and slender arms and the fact that she had, once again, worn an open dress.

Sutan couldn’t help but look, searching for any signs of the marks he had left on her body only two days before, but Violet had carefully concealed each and every one of them, her skin appearing completely flawless, her collarbones delicately standing out, the soft rise and fall of her chest with each breath distracting him.

Sutan flicked one of Violet’s earrings, smiling a little as they were the only pieces of jewelry she was wearing, beside her bracelets.

“I expected you to wear something gigantic… Like a ruby necklace or a tiara.”

Violet turned to him, her nose crinkled, her entire attention on him, which was just what Sutan wanted. He almost regretted smoking the cigarette, since all he wanted to do was to lean forwards and kiss Violet.

“Do you want me to wear more?” Violet looked at him, her eyes searching his face, clearly trying to figure out if he was serious or not. “If we turn around right now I could probably-”

“No, no.”

Sutan took Violet’s hand and placed a gentle kiss to her palm.

“I’m sorry.”

Violet smiled a little and leaned in, their lips meeting for the first time that night in a sweet and short, close-mouthed kiss. Violet pulled back, her hand still in Sutan’s grip.

“If you told me where we’re going, I would know if I’m over or under-dressed.”

“Fine, fine you win. We’re going to the reception on the new Ralph Pucci exhibition.”

“Are you kidding me? Ralph Pucci, the Ralph Pucci?” Violet straightened up. “Are we going to The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Design?” Violet looked incredibly excited. “Are you taking me to the reception of ‘The Art of the Mannequin’ exhibition? Are you?”

Sutan laughed, nodding, which made Violet jump into his arms, giving him an actual deep kiss as she practically vibrated with joy.

***

Violet was filled with glee; it almost felt like a dream. She was walking around the inside of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Design, at an exhibition she had desperately wanted to see but had resigned herself to never experience, with all the pressure there was on her at work. They had already watched the opening talk and Sutan had gotten them glasses of champagne as the gentleman he always appeared to be. Violet had caught him staring at her breasts a few times though, but that only made her like him even more. Sutan had effortlessly presented his arm to Violet, and Violet had taken it after quickly scanning the room to make sure there wasn’t anyone there who knew who she was.

They were looking at some of the newest mannequins when Violet spotted someone out the corner of her eye who almost made her spit out her champagne, her grip on Sutan’s arm tightening as she was looking straight at one of her biggest icons, Caroline de Maigret.

“Ow, what are you-”

“Shhh!” Violet quickly moved so Sutan covered her; she desperately soothed down the fabric of her dress, checking if everything was in place.

“What’s gotten into you?”

Violet looked up at Sutan, blushing now that she realized how ridiculous she was being. “I’m sorry…”

“Don’t apologize, what’s wrong?” Sutan looked around, not seeing anything that could have upset Violet.

“It’s nothing… It’s… It’s just, that Caroline de Maigret, the Caroline de Maigret… I feel like I’m going to faint.”

Sutan laughed, an open carefree laugh that made Violet blush completely. She knew she was being foolish, but she had been a fan of Caroline for years, had followed her career since she was just a model who worked her first show for Chanel. 19-year-old Violet had read and fallen head over heels in love with the book “How to Be Parisian Wherever You Are”, having kept the book as a bible throughout her years in college.

“Well, let’s go say hi.” Sutan smiled, tugging on Violet’s arm. “Nous pouvons même le faire en français si vous préférez.”

“What? Oh non non non s'il vous plaît ne pas, not right now!”

Sutan stopped and smiled, clearly amused at Violet’s distress. “Okay, okay, I’m sorry.” He leaned down, giving her chin a gentle kiss. “But I will introduce you during Fashion Week, okay?”

“Okay…” Violet relaxed, Sutan’s kiss soothing her. The two continued to look at the exhibition, Sutan saying hi to someone every once in a while as they each emptied two more glasses of champagne. Violet even ate a chocolate-covered strawberry or two from the platters the waiters carried around the museum halls.

Sutan leaned down, whispering into Violet’s ear. “That’s Cory Bautista, I have to go talk to him. Will you be okay on your own?” Sutan looks down at Violet, a slightly worried expression on his face, and Violet smiled teasingly.

“Afraid I can’t take care of myself, while you handle business with the big scary co-owner of Model Management?”

“It’s not you I’m scared for, it’s everyone else if you don’t behave, lovely eyes.” Sutan smiled a crooked smile, clearly teasing her right back.

Violet laughed and shook her head. “Go, I’ll be fine.” She reached up, gently adjusting Sutan’s suit jacket, stepping back and letting him go before she turned her attention back to the exhibition.

Violet took a sip of her champagne, watching the different mannequins and the evolution of the mannequin within the world of fashion,

“It’s amazing, isn’t it? An artist who is actually appreciated in his time.”

Violet heard a voice behind her, but didn’t turn around.

“It is… how much one man changed fashion history. Can you believe they’re actually showing the original 1979 action mannequins? And look, they even have some of Michael Everts prototypes. Isn’t it fascinating? I love how you can clearly see the evolution.”

“Oh, you seem to know your stuff.”

Violet smiled a little. “I graduated from Parsons two years ago.”

“And what do you do now then? Do you work for the museum?”

“No, I actually-” Violet turned around, stopping as she recognized who was standing behind her all the time. “Miss Del Rio!”

“So you know me then?

“I’m – I’m so sorry, miss. I didn’t realize it was you. Of course I know you.” Violet gulped; Bianca was known for being ruthless, and Violet deeply hoped she hadn’t offended her. “I really admire your work at Marie Claire.”

“Mhm. Thanks.” Bianca del Rio, in a stunning dress, was sipping on a tall glass of champagne, raising her eyebrows. Her eye makeup was just as harsh as Violet had seen in the photos, making her look almost like a fairytale creature. Violet was not particularly sure if she liked being in this fairytale.

“So.” Bianca said, sounding very uninterested. “You were going to tell me where you work.”

“My name is Violet, Violet Chachki. I work for Galactica.”

Violet was so nervous she only barely kept herself from grabbing for the material of her dress to busy her fingers. She was standing in front of Bianca del Rio herself, and was clearly failing to make a good impression.

“Oh, really? That’s impressive.” But Bianca didn’t sound that impressed, which fueled a fire inside of Violet. There was no way she was going to stand here and take this.

“I interned with Marcus Gengos. I love the spread you did on him last year, very interesting. Of course I loved it even more when one of your fashion editors made an online article about my graduation class and you featured my final project.” Violet smiled, trying to get the upper hand. “I’m really glad I get to work for Galactica. I always dreamed of working with real, hands-on fashion.” Violet added as the final quip at Bianca’s position as a magazine editor-in-chief, unsure if that wasn’t too much, but then she saw Bianca smiling a little with her bright white teeth.

“Well, kudos to you, kid.” She tipped her glass in Violet’s direction, a smile on her face now.

“Oh, there she is!” Bianca turned her head towards a woman approaching them from the left: an overwhelming presence, wearing all the colours in the world, her hair wavy and red.

“Jinkx Monsoon! Come over here, darling!”

Before Jinkx even approached them, Violet recognized her as one of Max’s closest friends who she briefly met once, a rich socialite with a huge love for theatre and art.

“Bianca, my darling!” Jinkx and Bianca gave each other air kisses on cheeks. “Have you seen the MTV mannequin? It’s so much fun, absolutely wonderful, right? Oh, who’s this?” Jinkx smiled and Violet introduced herself again, shaking her hand, also managing to tell Jinkx that they have a friend in common.

“I’ve heard you’re about to do some great things at Galactica. Are you excited for Fashion Week?”

“Thank you, Jinkx. Of course I’m excited, aren’t we all?”

Jinkx and Bianca quickly fell into friendly conversation, clearly knowing each other which made Violet retreat a little, giving them their space to catch up.

Violet started to look around, seeing if she could locate Sutan. She hadn’t seen him in a while, and she missed his reassuring presence by her side. Just as she was planning to leave the two women to themselves, she felt an arm sneaking around her waist.

“Hey lovely eyes”, Sutan whispers into her ear. “I missed you.” He placed a gentle kiss against Violets cheek, and she could practically feel him smiling. “But I see you’re doing pretty well without me.”

Sutan’s arrival attracted the attention of Bianca and Jinkx, who now both had their eyes on the couple. The man greeted both of them pleasantly, waving with a cheeky glint in his eye.

“Sutan, well well well. I’m not going to say I didn’t expect to see you here, but I certainly didn’t expect to see you in such excellent company.” Jinkx’s face was unreadable, but she was looking straight into Sutan’s eyes, making Violet feel more than a little uncomfortable as Sutan responded to Jinkx’s stare.

“Jinkx. You’re looking very… radiant tonight.” Violet could hear a sour, mocking note in Sutan’s silky voice. She had no idea what was going on, had never seen Sutan like this before and she couldn’t recognize the man who has whispered into her ear merely minutes before, the energy he was giving off now reminding her of Raja on her worst days.

“Crap. Not this again. I’m out.” Clearly over it, Bianca del Rio waved her left hand and departed in search of more champagne. Sutan and Jinkx were still staring at each other, Violet feeling Sutan’s grip around her waist tighten, the atmosphere dense.

“I think we’re going to go too. What do you say, Violet?” Sutan asked, looking down at her.

“Yes – Yes, okay. Umh…” Violet looked at Jinkx and smiled apologetically. “It was nice meeting you, Jinkx.”

Jinkx shrugged. “Likewise. Say hi to Max from me.”

“I will.”

“What was that about?” inquired Violet as soon as they were at a safe distance from Jinkx and everybody else.

Sutan took a deep breath. “Jinkx and I used to be a couple… It didn’t end well, to say the least.”

“Seriously? The two of you?” Violet couldn’t imagine Sutan and Jinkx together if her life depended on it; they seemed too different, like night and day.

“Yes. Raja introduced us. But it doesn’t matter now.”

Sutan’s eyes were roaming Violet’s figure. He leaned into her side, giving her hair a sweet kiss before he whispered, so quietly Violet was the only one who could hear him, “I have to have you, and I have to have you, now.

***

The door to the abandoned office slams shut behind them, the only light in the room coming from the lamp down on the street that illuminated everything in a soft, yellow glow.

Sutan backed Violet against the door, quickly grabbing her skirt and bunching it up around her hips, not even looking down as he forces his thigh in between her legs, lifting her up, his voice a low growl.

“Are you trying to kill me?”

“I’m not, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Violet smiled, a deliciously teasing look on her face as her hips were already working against Sutan’s leg.

Sutan cupped Violets head in his hands, their lips meeting in a gentle kiss that was totally disproportionate to how hard and desperate his cock was. He had looked at her all night, seen her walk around, more interesting than any of the pieces of art on display at the museum.

Sutan gently tilted Violet’s head to the side, and she offered no resistance as he pressed open-mouthed kisses down along her neck, the smell of Violet filling his nose.

“Sutan.” Violet whispered his name, her body tense for a second, until she realized that he hadn’t forgotten about his teeth. They could hear the sounds of the party going on on the other side of the door if they listened, but neither of them did.

“Let me take care of you.”

Violet nodded, her cheeks already flushed with lust and anticipation. The right side of her dress had slid down a little, baring her shoulder, but Sutan couldn’t see probably since they were standing so close together.

Sutan’s hand slid slowly down her body, from the base of her throat, down to her chest and into the valley between her tits. He hadn’t forgotten that night in the taxi; it had been one of the sexiest things he had ever seen. Violet’s breasts were perfect, small and perky with just enough flesh to sink his teeth into. He tugged at the delicate fabric of Violet’s dress, letting it fall over her shoulders, revealing her in all her glory, and he couldn’t keep his mouth off her anymore.

Sutan circled the dusty pink of her nipple with his tongue, followed by the gentle nip of his teeth, which made Violet moan and pull at his jacket, trying to get him away, but he only bit even harder, Violet going completely slack in his arms with pleasure which made him redouble his efforts.

Sutan lifted her tits to get to the undersides, silently mourning that he couldn’t mark her entire body, covering them with bites and bruises were no one would be able to see. With a smile on his face he bit down on her nipple, making Violet curse under her breath.

“Table, now.”

Sutan nodded, quickly wrapping Violet’s legs around his waist, her arms grabbing his shoulder as he carried her to the table. He wanted to kiss her so badly, actually kiss her, but judging by the size of the clutch Violet had dropped on the floor behind them, his chances of her having brought anything beyond her cellphone was pretty slim.

Once they reached their destination he sat her down and spun her around, bending her over the desk.

“Do you want me to take off your dress off?

“No.”

Sutan smiled; Violet continued to surprise him, always making each moment with her ever so exciting. He flipped up the skirt with one hand, taking care to get every last bit of the beautiful white sand fabric around her hips so he wouldn’t ruin it, when he stopped dead in his tracks.

Violet was wearing a garter belt and stockings over the smallest black thong he had ever seen, and his breath caught in his throat. Had she been hiding this the entire evening? Had she known how desperate he would be all night to have her when she had chosen not to wear a bra? Had she planned to torment him?

Violet looked over shoulder, softly illuminated by the yellow glow from the street lamp.

“What’s the matter?” There was an innocent smile on her face even as her eyes clearly challenged him to say something, her heels and her position pushing her ass out for him.

“Fuck.” Sutan’s hand made it’s way between her legs, her panties soaked through. “You’re so fucking wet, lovely eyes.”

“Come on, you jerk.” Violet laughed quietly, still looking at him. “Stop talking and fuck me.” She shook her ass and mewled.

Somehow, it always sent a thrill up his spine whenever Violet teased him or called him names. He loved how carefree she was in those moments, how utterly unafraid she was of him, the joy in her face every time she let go of her walls.

Sutan moaned and leaned down, placing a kiss on Violet’s back as he quickly pushed his pants and underwear down, a condom expertly opened and the wrapper thrown on the floor before he pushed Violet’s panties to the side, his face still against her back as he held her hip and pushed in. The slight hitch in her breath and the moan of pleasure as he bottomed out made his entire body burn with desire.

Sutan wrapped his arms around her, steadying her body, lacing their fingers together so that he could thrust harder, make her take it, make her his, and he picked up his pace and started pounding into her.

Violet was so warm and wet inside, and he could almost lose himself in how good she felt, how snugly she fit around him. He wanted to moan, to groan and to show his pleasure, wanted to hear Violet too, but just outside the door and down the hall people were walking around, talking, completely unaware of what has happened just a few feet away. It both excited and worried him, the possibility of getting caught.

Sutan buried his face in Violet’s shoulder to muffle his grunts as he continued to fuck her, his shirttails thankfully damping the slapping sounds of his hips against her ass.

Sutan could hear every sigh, gasp and bit of moan from Violet, could feel how she became tenser and tenser as her body worked its way towards her orgasm, more and more sounds leaving her. All she needed was a little push, and she would tip right over the edge.

Sutan reached down between her legs, careful to keep Violet’s dress out of the way so that it wouldn’t get wrinkled or dirty, quickly finding her clit.

“Come on, princess”, Sutan moaned, whispering into her ear. “Give it to me.”

His fingers rubbed at her hard and fast, a combination that had made her fall apart completely every time he used it. Violet started whining, her voice growing louder and louder until Sutan had to slap his hand over her mouth as she came with a high keen, her entire body tensing.

Seeing and feeling Violet come undone set off his own release immediately, rhythm left him and the pumping of his hips became erratic as he emptied himself deep inside of Violet, both of them collapsing onto the desk, Sutan’s right hand still on top of Violet’s as they both struggled to catch their breath.

 


	5. Chapter 5

“Hurry up, baby! I want to see them feed the birds in the indoor rainforest! Come on, you slowpoke!”

“I’m coming, I’m coming!”

Trixie yawned as he followed Katya, who was very, very, very awake and had already ran ahead.  
It was 9:30 on a Sunday, and Katya had been a bundle of energy since she had practically rolled him out of bed to get him up.

The two of them were in the Central Park Zoo, where Katya had begged to go for the last two weeks, but Trixie had simply been too busy to go with her, his only free time spent in a near comatose state as he had tried to catch up on the sleep he hadn’t gotten during the week.

Trixie watched Katya, a smile on his face. The other had even dressed up for the occasion, her backpack decorated with animal keyrings and her “exploring kit”.

The begging for Trixie to go with her had started the day one of Katya’s students had told her that she had never seen Central Park, and Katya had come home crying for the little girl, filled with sadness over the fact that she had never seen one of the biggest landmarks in the city she lived in. Katya had told Trixie the story again and again until he had, off-handedly, suggested that Katya could take her students on a trip to the Central Park Zoo, which had lit a fire inside Katya, who set heaven and earth into motion.

Katya had found article upon article about why field trips would be good for the kids, how getting a day away from the classroom would fill them with inspiration and make them learn even more. She had even found prices on bus companies and her begged Trixie to be co-chaperone with her on the trip, but the principal had still said no. No, there wasn’t enough money in the budget; no, Katya couldn’t go; no, it didn’t make sense for the kids to actually see the zoo animals and follow the lesson plan Katya had prepared if she got the green light.

But Katya, ever the fighter, hadn’t given up yet.

She had begged Max to spend his Sunday with her at the zoo, so she could get pictures and videos for a presentation she was planning to do for her school district council. Max, ever the animal enthusiast, had agreed right away because no one said no to Hurricane Katya when she had an idea.

“Oh, Trixie, look! Look!” Katya smiled, her entire face lighting up as she pointed at a small, blue, white and black bird. “It’s a Leucopsar rothschildi!”

“A what?” Trixie looked up from his project of taking the perfect Instagram picture of Katya and the birds.

“A Bali Mynah! It’s critically endangered and there’s only 14 left in the wild.”

Trixie came up to Katya’s side, and gave her a kiss. “I love it when you talk birdy to me.”

Against all of Trixie’s expectations, he ended up having an amazing day with Max and Katya at the zoo.

The seal splashed water at Max, one of the monkeys almost stole Trixie’s fannypack, they all got candyfloss and Katya even switched with Trixie halfway through so he could have both blue and pink and at the end of the day, Katya almost cried when Trixie brought her a stuffed lion from the zoo store, all proceeds going to saving animals in the wild.

-

“Biip, biip, biip.”

Violet opened her eyes, the annoying sound of her phone alarm waking her. She sat up, at first slightly disoriented about where she was, but then she recognized the room. Violet quickly hopped out of bed, locating her clutch, swearing under her breath as she fumbled with the lock, finally getting it open so she could turn her alarm off with a few quick taps.

Violet was sitting cross-legged on the floor, checking her messages, and didn’t even notice that Sutan had woken up and was now watching her from the bed, a small smile on his lips as he looked at her.

“Baby, come back to bed.”

Violet jumped a little at the sound of Sutan’s voice, a soft look on her face when she saw that he was laying on his stomach, one of his eyes lazily cracked open.

“Did I wake you?”

“Mmh…What’s the time?”

“5:30.”

“Uurgh, come back to bed, right now.”

Violet put her phone back into her bag and went back to the bed, crawling up to Sutan and laid down next to him were Sutan’s hand sneaked its way underneath the shirt she had borrowed from him, his palm warm against her stomach, his hand lazily exploring her skin as he had closed his eyes once again.

“Why am I still here?” Violet smiled and turned on her side, her hand supporting her head as she looked at Sutan.

“On earth?”

“No, silly. Here.”

“Well, sometimes when a man asks a woman if she wants to come home with him, she says yes.” Sutan had opened both of his eyes now, a teasing smile on his lips.

“And stays for two days?”

Sutan nodded, clearly very pleased with himself.

“I swear you have put a spell on me.” Violet’s free hand found Sutan’s hair, gently playing with the soft strands that were sticking in a million different directions.

“I have to be at work at 8, and I have nothing to wear… I don’t even have a bra here, and you can’t wear a thousand-dollar dress to get coffee.”

Violet sighed. She had to get going if she wanted to make it home to her apartment and change, but the last thing she wanted was to put on her dress from yesterday and go all the way uptown from Sutan’s apartment in SoHo.

She hadn’t planned to come home with Sutan after the party, but then he had asked her and she hadn’t been able to say no… And now it was Monday morning.  
She had spent all day yesterday in Sutan’s apartment, the two of them spending the day being lazy.

Violet had never felt like this before, had never had a problem with saying ‘no’ to anything or anyone before, had never wanted to do the things she did with Sutan with anyone else before.

Saturday night, Sutan had found a t-shirt and toiletries for her while she was taking a shower, the two of them brushing their teeth side by side before they got into bed together, Violet falling asleep with her head on Sutan’s chest.

“If you stay here and cuddle, you can borrow something from me.” Sutan was actually awake now, a wicked smile on his face.

“What? Don’t be stupid, I can’t show up in a suit…” Violet could feel herself getting seduced by Sutan once again. She could technically stay, one text and Max could bring her bag to work, but… Was that really the kind of person she was?

“Who’s talking about suits?”

“If you can find me an outfit so I can go to work and change, yes, yes I’ll stay.”

Sutan smiled, now fully awake.

***

Courtney ran down the hall towards the office. Violet had called her fifteen times in the last 20 minutes. There had been a mixup with the makeup and hair artists that Alaska had ordered last month, half of them now double booked for another show at the same time as they needed them so it was all hands on deck as soon as Fame had discovered the mistake.

Courtney opened the door, and was met with something she had never expected to see in her entire life. Violet was wearing jeans… Jeans, a striped sweater and silver heels, her hair collected in a high ponytail. As soon as Violet saw Courtney though, the gates to hell opened.

“How, are you, SO, stupid, Courtney? How? I asked you, I specifically asked you, to check every, single, fucking appointment. Are you incapable of using a phone? Do you not understand the very simple concept of dialing a number and use the mouth that is connected to your useless brain to speak the English language? Do you not understand English, Courtney?”

Courtney felt petrified. She had never been yelled at like this in her life, not even as a child, not even in the most ruthless girl fights in high school.

“Sit your ass down, and I will show you how to fix this, do you understand that or is it too hard for you to comprehend? You should never have been hired for this position, you are the dumbest person I have ever met in my entire life and I admire the fact that you can stand up, and fucking breathe at the same time. Now. Sit. Down!”

Violet grabbed Courtney’s arm, the two of them working frantically the entire morning to cover up and fix Courtney’s mistake.

***  
  
Courtney was sitting in the bathroom, her feet up on the seat as sobs wracked her entire body. She had never fucked up so bad in her entire life, and she had never felt this dumb before.

“Courtney… Courtney, are you in there?”

Courtney didn’t look up, even as she tried to stop crying. “No.”

“Courtney, I’m coming in, okay?”

Courtney couldn’t protest before the door opened, revealing Alaska who had a debit card in her right hand, having clearly just used it to open the door.

“Hey…” Alaska closed the door behind her. “Are you okay?”

“No. No, I’m not. I’m the dumbest person in the entire world.”

“No, no, sweetie, don’t say that. You’re not, I promise.” Alaska wrapped her arms around Courtney, giving the other woman a hug, which just made Courtney cry even more.

“I am, I really, really am, Alaska. I forgot to double check with the agency, even a monkey could do that, Violet told me.”

Alaska smiled a little, holding Courtney even closer.

“Everyone makes mistakes. I promise you, one time, Fame spent 20 minutes yelling at Violet because she had send one of her furs to the wrong dry cleaners and they destroyed it.” Alaska took some toilet paper, gently drying Courtney’s eyes. “Everyone makes mistakes, now, go back into the office, head held high, and do your job. Be the strong, capable and frankly adorable woman I know you are.”

Courtney smiled a little, drying the snot from her nose. “You’re a good friend, Alaska… A really good friend.”

“I know.”

***

When Courtney came back, there were not one, but two Fashion Week party invitations laying on Courtney’s desk, with a yellow Post-It note with the word “sorry” written on it in Violet’s handwriting.

***

“So? How’s it going?” asked Rhea, sitting her thin butt at the edge of Willam’s desk, obnoxiously chewing her gum. Willam scratched his forehead with a pencil.

“Badly. You know it’s going fucking shitty, Rhea, why do you keep asking?”

“You said you’re making progress with that pretty lesbian chick! What’s her name? Diamond?”

“Pearl. Her name is Pearl. Well, turns out she’s less of a fool than I expected, she didn’t spill anything. ‘Company policy.’ And she can hold her liquor like a champ.”

“What about some party drugs?” Rhea grinned. She was a fan of party drugs herself, and usually she was amazing company, but Willam was just tired. This task was a dead-end and tragic enough without her prodding.

“Like I haven’t tried that. I’m not an amateur.”

“So what? You give up now? Maybe I should try getting some info out of her? She’s a chick, I’m a chick, you know how it goes…” Rhea tangled a strand of her hair around her index finger.

Willam has never been closer to slapping her.

“Over my dead body. I’m not done with Galactica and Miss fucking Fame, not yet.”

After all, Pearl was not the only one who worked at this company. Willam opened a folder of paparazzi photos and browsed through them, focusing on a petite blonde wearing princess-style dresses, carrying Fame’s bags, always holding a notepad. In one photo, she was checking in the reflective surface of her iPhone if her teeth were clean. Fucking adorable.

Willam be damned if this wasn’t Miss Fame’s assistant, and bad at her job, too. Assistants know all the dirty secrets of their employers.

Soon, Willam was going to be editor-in-chief of the entire department. Soon, he was going to be rich. He just needed to force this girl to tell him something juicy.

***

It was Thursday just after lunch, which meant that there was only 13 days left until the first day of fashion week kicked off.

Violet tried to check her work phone while making her way out of the elevator on the 21st floor of Galactica. It has been buzzing non-stop since she had gotten on the elevator, but thankfully she could see on the caller ID that it was Courtney, so she ignored it for now.

Violet sped up, slightly worried about what Courtney had fucked up this time, when she saw the blonde running towards her.

“What are you doing out here?” Violet flanked Courtney, an aggressive look on her face. Violet handed Courtney the paper bag of water and juice before she grabbed her arm and dragged her back towards the office.

“Don’t ever, ever, ever leave the office unattended when Fame is there, how is that so hard to understand?! We have editors coming in today!”

Violet knew she was being harsher than necessary when she dug her nails into Courtney’s arm, but she didn’t care. Violet was sure she had to have done something truly terrible in her earlier life to deserve someone as dumb as Courtney as her coworker.

“Ow, ow, ow!” Courtney tried to get away, and Violet released her grip. “But Violet, that’s why I’ve been calling yo-”

“Why, why have you been calling me? What was so hard about staying in the office by yourself that you simply couldn’t wait the 11 minutes it takes for me to get the coffee orders you are too stupid to remember? The meeting starts in 6 minutes and does everything look ready? No, no, it doesn’t, because it’s not!”

Violet was furious with Courtney. Courtney had been told to stay behind, call the other departments to make sure the editors were ready and print the documents needed for the meeting but now it looked like none of it had been done, which meant Violet was fucked.

“Someone arrived while you were gone, but I don’t know who it is so I just let them in since they said they had an appointment, and I don’t know who they are!” Courtney looked at Violet, a scared look on her face since she knew she had fucked up.

“What? Does Fame know there is a stranger in her office? How could you, Courtney!?” They were almost back at their office, Violet checking her watch. They only had 4 minutes left.

“You can’t just let anyone in, how many times do I have to tell you?! Don’t ever let anyone in unless they’re approved by Roxy or if they are in the bulleti-”

Violet then saw the back of a very familiar head through the glass door to the front office, and she completely froze, a small whimper and a “Fuck” leaving her lips.

“Violet, what’s wrong?” Courtney sounded genuinely concerned. “Are you having a stroke? Are you okay?”

Violet gave Courtney the coffee and pushed her forward, her face white and panic in her eyes. “Serve this, now.”

“But Violet, Fame asked for you specifically to co-”

“Now! Or I will tear those ugly ass, nickle-ridden Forever21 hoops right out of your ears, got it?”

Courtney took one look at Violet’s face, and decided that this was not the time to argue.

“Yes, Violet!”

Courtney hanked up in her stuff, still no clue as to who the man in their office was, and walked into the room, her usual bright smile on her face.

***

“Sorry for keeping you waiting!”

Sutan turned around, a smile on his face as the petite blonde assistant entered the office again. Sutan had texted Violet a few times during the day, telling her he was coming over, but as usual he didn’t get a response during Violet’s work hours.

“Hey, I hope it’s okay I got here a little earl- Do you need help with anything?” Sutan looked on in concern as Courtney balanced a tray with six coffees and two paper bags.

“No sir, I’m-”

“Here, let me help you.” Sutan took the coffee from the blonde, holding open the door to Fame’s office for her as she hurried in. Sutan smiled, picking one of the cups without a name on before he followed Courtney inside.

Assistants were indeed a special breed of employees.

***

Violet was standing outside of their office, a short breath of relief leaving her as Sutan disappeared into Fame’s office together with Courtney. With even the tiniest bit of luck she could do this.

Violet quickly checked her makeup and clothes in the glass door to her office while the word “Fuck” rang in her head over and over. Her palms were slightly sweaty, and her calm from earlier left her completely as saw the keychain who identified her as an assistant in the glass. She quickly yanked it off, hiding it behind her back.

Violet should’ve known Sutan would’ve been here; she had set up this meeting herself, had called Elite’s reception just this morning to confirm that one of the senior bookers did indeed have an appointment at Galactica today. Had heard Sutan mention several times that Raja had asked him for a favour. Of course he would have been the one to show up today.

Sutan was not only was he one of the top talent scouts at Elite, but he was also their top agent and booker when it came finding and making the new fresh faces that became iconic. 

He had the magic touch. Violet knew all about it, knew all about how the Amrull twins had risen as stars in the fashion world. It had all started when Raja, who was only doing modeling on the side, had taken a job that Sutan had found for her, never knowing that one job would take them from obscurity to international fame in months.

Violet wanted to cry. Sutan was everything a girl could ask for, and more, not only because of his job, his good looks and his personality, but also because Violet felt safe with him. They had spent the entire Sunday together on the couch, her head in his lap as they watched Netflix and ordered in. Violet bit her lip. Had she screwed everything up now?

Sutan could have any beautiful and successful woman from the Upper East Side to Sri Lanka. She had seen the girls he used to date, had seen pretty girl after pretty girl on his arm on red carpets, and Violet knew she couldn’t compete.

Sutan didn’t know she was an assistant; didn’t know she was at the very bottom of the food chain at Galactica because Violet hadn’t told him. Oh God, what was she supposed to do? Violet bit her lip, the stress making her slightly nauseous.

Sutan had an actual real world adult job, at Elite none the less, which was leaps and bounds above Violet’s childish assistant position. Not that it would be much better if she ever got her promotion to design, which she would only get if she had made it alive through Fashion Week with Courtney as dead weight. She had known Sutan’s social status was better than hers from the start, but she had hoped with all her heart that she could have at least made it through with lying until she got her job as supporting lead designer, which would not be even half as embarrassing.

“Violet, what are you doing out here? The meeting is about to start.” Violet jumped when she heard Raja’s voice, an apology falling from her lips as fast as a fake smile plastered itself to her face as she stepped aside and held the door open while Ivy, Raja and Trixie made their way through it.

Courtney came out of Fame’s office just as Violet entered theirs, confusion and panic on her face. Courtney had never had to deal with Fame or any task like this on her own before.

“What the fuck is happening?” Courtney hissed to Violet through gritted teeth. “Why are you acting like this? Are you scared of going into Fame’s office?”

Violet shook her head, trying to signal to Courtney that this is not the right time, since the door to Fame’s office was open while everyone found their seats.

“Shut up shut up shut up,” Violet whispered as she tried to give Courtney the papers and cardboard cards with the models on that she had prepared, so Courtney could take her place in Fame’s office.

“Just do this for me, okay, just, I can’t, I can’t. I’m sweating, Courtney, I’m literally sweating, you have to help me.”

Violet forced her notepad and her calendar into Courtney’s arms when she heard the sound that sealed her destiny.

“Violet, come in here please.”

Violet deflated completely. “Just a second!”

She took a deep breath, grabbed her things from Courtney’s arms and said a slight prayer before she made her way into Fame’s office, already mourning her lost relationship with Sutan as she closed the door behind her.

***

“I love your new bag Trixie, very very stylish.” Sutan looked over his shoulder and smiled at Trixie who was wearing a pink, bejeweled fannypack around his stomach.

“Thank you!” Trixie said, flipping Sutan off with a smile which made both of them laugh, not even really caring that Sutan was very clearly being sarcastic. “Katya made it for me, and I love it.” Trixie sat down in his chair, shaking Sutan’s hand in a greeting while Ivy and Raja came into the office as well.

The last person who came into the room surprised Sutan. It was his Violet, he smiled at her, but she didn’t meet his eyes at all. She looked beautiful, her hair artfully curled, and Sutan could just about see the bite mark he had left on Violet’s right wrist underneath her watch, and the sight filled him with glee.

“Good you could finally grace us with your presence, Miss Chachki.” Fame pushed her chair out from her desk and stood up. “If your highness could concentrate for a minute, please give out the collages that has been made with the available models Raja has got us through Sutan.” Violet nodded, quickly going through her papers.

Sutan noticed how Trixie sent Violet a sympathetic look at Fame’s sharp tone, so Sutan guessed that Violet was most likely someone who worked for Trixie. Sutan took another sip of his coffee, he could see Violet in a design department, she surely had the style to pull it off. Meanwhile Fame had continued her talk about the models.

“Right now they are sorted by hair and eye colour.” Fame snapped her fingers. “Violet, hurry up.”

Violet nodded again, having finally found the papers Fame had requested only seconds before, quickly delegating everything.

When Violet made it to Sutan, he made sure that his hand brushed hers, but he didn’t get any reaction at all, no eye contact, not even a single smile. Wasn’t she noticing that he was flirting with her? Was Violet ashamed of him? Was she ignoring him?

Fame tapped her fingers against her desk, waiting on Violet who was unusually slow. Fame had gotten used to Violet being two steps ahead, so the speed today was driving Fame insane.

“Please move at a glacial pace, Violet, you know how much that thrills me.”

***

“Ok so I was thinking that since we’re going with a more tropical, garden-y type of theme for the collection, that straight and structured hair with a blunt bang would look nice,” said Raja with a slight yawn before taking a sip of her green tea.

“No, I don’t see it for structure, not like that. I think the tousled curls and wild hair would look better. Like very jungle contour,” countered Trixie while looking over the girls with Sutan.

“What about short almost pixie cuts? It’ll make the dress the focal point for the eye,” supplied Sutan while pulling Raven’s photo out of the main pile and putting it alongside the smaller pile of approved girls.

“I don’t know, Sutan. Because the makeup isn’t going to be very strong so it may not look proportionate with the look as a whole.” Raja sighed, looking at Ivy as the girl picked through the approved models from Cameroon, Model Management and Elite, and paired them with some of their green gowns that would contrast beautifully with rich dark skin.

Violet was standing in the corner of the room, taking notes while desperately wishing no one will notice her, until Fame took a sip of her coffee.

“Violet, this is cold, get me a new one.”

Violets nodded and stepped forward, extending her hand to take the cup from Fame.

“Have you become mute, Violet?” Fame voice was mockingly sweet, and Violet knew she was dead.

Violet blushed all the way to her ears. “No Miss, I’m sorry… I’ll get a new one right away, Miss.”

“Good, also, get me the medical waivers of our top 30 girls, Ivy doesn’t have the time to deal with calling the managers and since you’re moving as if you have all the time in the world, it shouldn’t be a problem for you.”

“Yes Miss.”

Violet was leaned over Sutan’s shoulder to get to Fame, she could feel the pressure of his shoulder against her stomach, could smell the scent of his perfume, and the unfairness of the situation made tears well up in Violets eyes as she quickly grabbed Fames cup, turning around to leave the office.

One of Violet’s tears had fallen on Sutan’s shoulder, so he had turned around to look at her leaving, a confused and hurt expression on his face.

Raja, who was sitting next to Sutan, has seen it all happen. She caught his eyes while Fame was distracted by Ivy who was making a new proposition for what models they could use.

Raja mouthed “Is that her?” a concerned expression on her face, and when Sutan nodded, she gave him a hard kick under the table, clearly telling him that he should go, and that he should go now.

Sutan stood up and left while Fame sighed, “Why is everyone acting insane today?”

***

Courtney heard the door open before Violet pushed her way past her, tears falling from her eyes as she grabbed her jacket and her sunglasses, covering herself up so quickly Courtney almost doubted that she had even seen tears fall from Violet’s eyes before she grabbed for her keycard as well, ready to go get coffee.

Courtney has never seen Violet like this before, has never seen her express any emotion beyond what is work appropriate so Violet’s tears shock her to the very core.

***

“Fuck!” Violet swore as she couldn’t get her stupid jacket to close probably

“Violet?”

Violet turned around, and right there, right in front of her, was Sutan.

***

Sutan looked around at the chaos in front of him.

Only now did he probably register that there were two desks in the front office, two desks, two girls, and two assistants. Of course.

Violet was standing in front of him, his beautiful Violet, her eyes hidden behind sunglasses, but everything about her reminded him of a wounded animal, ready to choose either flight or fight.

“Leave.” Sutan didn’t even look at blonde woman as he closed the door behind him, the chatter from Fame’s office disappearing.

“Excuse me, but you can’t just kick me out, I actually work here.”

The blonde crossed her arms, obviously upset, but Sutan didn’t care.

“Leave, right now.”

“Fine!” The blonde huffed as she grabbed something from Violet’s hand before she left the office, leaving only Violet and Sutan standing in the room.

***

Violet wanted to die; she had never felt more humiliated in her life.

“Are you crying?”

“… No…”

Violet knew her voice had betrayed her, knew that Sutan could hear it shake, knew with complete certainty that he could see just how pathetic, small and stupid she was.

“Lovely eyes… Please…”

Sutan took a step towards her, and Violet’s breath caught in her throat.

“What’s wrong? Why are you crying?”

“What’s wrong? What? Can’t you see it? Haven’t you figured it out?!”

Violet immediately slapped her hand over her mouth, petrified that Fame or anyone else in the office had heard her outburst. Violet looked around and saw the open closet door behind her desk. She grabbed Sutan’s hand and pulled him into the room, closing the door behind her before she turned on the light, her sunglasses making everything look even darker.

“Don’t pretend like you don’t know what’s going on!” Violet hissed through gritted teeth, the two of them standing chest to chest in the small room, kept company by office supplies, couture gowns and the coats.

“Are you ashamed of me?”

“What? No, of course not!”

“Then why are you acting like this? You haven’t said hi to me, haven’t even deigned to acknowledge my presence until you started crying?” Violet could feel how Sutan was growing more and more angry, but she couldn’t shut up.

“Of course I’m not ashamed of you! You’re ashamed of me, the little assistant who can’t even do her job of getting coffe-”

But before Violet could say anything else, Sutan grabbed her head and kissed her, slamming her against the wall of the closet.

“Shut up, I don’t care. I don’t care what your job is.”

Violet’s entire world was spinning, and she didn’t know what to believe. “What…” The word barely left her, her voice so quiet she had trouble even hearing it herself.

“I don’t care. I like you, Violet. I like you and not your job. I like how smart you are, and how proud, I like the way you call me names and the way you challenge me. If you’re an assistant, so what? You’re still the most beautiful and impossible girl I have ever met, and that is what matters to me.”

Violet was crying even harder now, small sobs wrecking her body as Sutan held her, his hands on her face the only thing comforting her.

“I’m sorry… I’m so sorry.”

Sutan gently popped Violet’s sunglasses up into her hair, a small smile on his face as he saw how her mascara had run down her cheeks.

“Let’s get you cleaned up, okay?”

***

“I know who you liiiike”, Raja laughed, the words sung by her in fluent Indonesian as she and Sutan walked down the hall of Galactica on their way to Raja’s office.

Normally Raja would never talk about anything like this in public, and much less at work, but since no one there understood Indonesian, she dared to talk to her twin, curiosity eating her up from the inside.

The two of them had just left Fame’s office, finally done with the meeting with Fame, Trixie and Ivy about the new overall look of the models they wanted. Raja didn’t know what had happened between Violet and Sutan, but it had taken less than 10 minutes until the two of them were back in the office, Violet perfectly polished as always with a new coffee for Fame, Raja hearing Violet giving a quick word of thanks to Courtney, who had apparently helped her out. Raja had studied Sutan’s face, trying to figure out what had happened, but her twin had been like a statue, not giving anything away, even to her.

The meeting had ended with an agreement on the final looks of the models Galactica wanted to use, and now all they needed was to pick the actual models and book them, a task which had fallen to Raja and Sutan. Raja accepted with glee, since she now had all the time in the world to tease her beloved brother.

Raja opened the door to her office and walked to the couch in the center.

“Sooo, Miss Violet Chachki has your attention. I am impressed, TanTan.” Raja smiled, still a teasing tone in her voice as she sat down, making room for Sutan by her side. The couch sat in front of tall floor-to-ceiling windows that pointed towards Central Park. “But I like her for you, she’s competent.”

Sutan laughed from the door which he had closed and locked. “Oh, so you actually don’t despise the person I’m seeing? That’s funny coming from you Miss I-Think-Most-People-With-A-Pulse-Are-Borderline-Stupid-Until-Proven-Otherwise, you must want something from me again.”

Sutan smiled and walked over to Raja.

“What do you have to drink? Because I know you have at least one Dom Perignon or some Cabernet from 2012 in here.” Sutan looked around for the bottle as he sat his bag down on one of her desk chairs, stepped out of his shoes and unbuttoned two of the buttons on his shirt. He knew Raja had smelled gossip, and whenever she did she was like a shark after blood, so they were going to be in Raja’s office for a while.

“Ha! Don’t give me an attitude me young man!”

Sutan smiled at Raja.

“You’re 7 minutes older than me, let it go.”

Raja laughed as she kicked off her heels and flicked her toes, enjoying a moment of quiet.

“My alcohol is in the mini fridge by my vanity, and whatever you bring, get 2 glasses. I hate drinking alone.” She finished with a smirk.

“I earned this drink with the blood, sweat and tears I have put into this to save your ass.” Sutan momentarily disappeared into Raja’s fridge, coming back with a bottle of golden liquid.

“Why do you have a magnum bottle of Dom Perignon from ‘89 in your office fridge? Where did you get this?”

“Blah blah, that’s all I hear.” Raja laughed, the smile on her face showing how grateful she actually was for the fact that Sutan had helped her out. “I won it in a poker game in Paris last year. That time I went there with Raven, don’t you remember? We visited this very lowkey and, quite frankly, very sleazy lounge since one of Raven’s benefactors had invited us. It all turned out fine in the end though. The older gentleman who owns the lounge, Francois DuBois, turned out to be a delight to be around. Help me remember that I have to introduce you when we’re both in Paris. I’m sure you’ll love him.”

Raja grinned as Sutan moved her legs and sat down on the couch, placing her legs back over his lap as soon as he was comfortable.

“You never told me that story, how did I miss that?” Sutan murmured as he opened the vintage wine and poured glasses for them both, filling Raja’s a little more than his own.

“And you still haven’t explained yourself and Violet. When did this become a thing and I want every single detail!”

Raja smiled as she took the glass Sutan held out for her, following up with a sip, clearly very excited to hear what her brother had to say now that she knew who his mystery woman was.

“It wasn’t really planned… Like, not at all. I saw her at the bar at the Vogue Fashion Awards, that one you didn’t want to go to, remember?”

Raja nodded, moving a little closer to Sutan as he started to tell his story.

“I don’t know why, but she looked… I’ve never seen anyone look so utterly destroyed, so heartbroken and still so beautiful. I was only going to ask if she was okay, but then she identified the brand of my handkerchief with a single glance, and offered to buy me a drink as an apology for the fact that she was upset. I was taken completely by surprise, we started talking and before I knew it she just… She captivated me, Rajie. She stayed over three nights last week, three nights and all of Sunday and I didn’t want her to leave even once.”

Sutan sighed as he leaned back into the couch with his drink, his hand resting on Raja’s ankle.

“Well, if you like her so much, why did she freak out today? The Violet I know and work with has never in the year I have known her displayed any emotions at work beyond what’s appropriate.”

Raja smiled, trying to dig into Sutan, loving how much he had opened up. They shared practically everything, and now she was finally getting the scoop on the secret Sutan had kept from her for more than two weeks.

“I have never seen her not prepared with anything involving Fame, it’s like they have some kind of mental connection were Fame doesn’t even have to know what she needs before Violet gets it. It’s actually a little freaky.”

“You’re nosey as hell, you know that, right Rajie? For the record, we had something Violet thought was an issue and we fixed it.”

Sutan nipped Raja’s big toe, clearly ready to end the conversation.

“What? What kind of issue?” Raja shook her foot, escaping Sutan’s pinching fingers as she continued to drill. “Did she not think that my brother is good enough for her? Is that why she ignored you? Was she jealous of your previous trysts? I do follow Jinkx on Instagram so I know she was at the museum.”

“No.” Sutan sighed, knowing Raja wouldn’t let go. “If anything, she didn’t think she was good enough for me… Or at least that’s her words.”

“Well, that’s surprising.” Started Raja, refilling both their glasses. “Violet is one of the most capable and brightest I have met in a long time… And she is stunning, so what’s not to like?” she smiled. “But I do guess I can understand why she was upset.”

“Explain it to me then, because I’m still confused.” Sutan looked at Raja, holding his glass out for his sister to refill. He had lived with Raja for most of his life, the two of them had been roomies through college, their first jobs, their second jobs and even when Raja broke through to fame they still stayed together. That was until Raja fell in love with Raven and moved in with her, and he still didn’t completely understand how women worked. He leaned back into the couch, taking a sip of his drink before he closed his eyes.

“Well, as you said, she’s an assistant, and you are not…” Raja smiled a little, running her hand through Sutan’s hair. “Maybe she didn’t want to tell you since she’s getting a promotion soon.”

Sutan opened an eye, looking at Raja with interest.

“She’s getting promoted to design as soon as she has trained the new blonde girl for Fame. She’s quite dumb, but sweet, bless her heart.”

Raja giggled into her glass, clearly amused at Courtney’s complete incompetence.

Sutan laughed, lazily massaging Raja’s calf causing the muscle to jump.

“So, do you care for her the way you care for most of your ‘Woman Crush Wednesdays’?” Raja smiled as she made air quotes around the words. “Or you can see her sticking around?”

“Do you remember that conversation we had about 7 years ago?” Sutan had both eyes opened now as he looked at Raja, a serious expression on his face.

“The one about Raven?”

“Yes, can you remember what you told me after the very first time you met her? How you looked me in the eyes, and said, do you remember what you said?”

“That she was perfect inside and out… Or at least perfect for me, that she understood me so well that it scared me, and that I wanted to be scared by her every day for the rest of my life.”

“I think I get that now.”

“Oh wow…” Raja sat, completely dumbstruck as she looked, really looked, at her twin brother.

“Who would have thought that the one of New York’s most eligible bachelors is now officially off the market.” Raja raised her glass, clincking it with Sutan. “Congratulations TanTan, may your decision not be a bad one.”

Raja smiled again as the two emptied their glasses.

***

Pearl opened the door to Laganja’s office, her hands filled with boxes upon boxes of invitations to Fashion Week shows and parties. As a boss in the social media department, it was Pearl’s job to decide which shows, parties and events would be worth covering for their website, and what different employees of Galactica should show up to, to most feature and nourish their brand.

Pearl saw Laganja, a smile breaking out on her face as she saw how Laganja had cleared the entire floor in her office, snacks lined up as well as drinks for both of them.

“Ready to crunch down?”

“I was born ready, mama.”

***

Courtney entered the cafeteria with a deep sigh.

It was almost empty, except for all the suits from Accounting and Legal she was not allowed to socialize with. The building she worked in housed not only Galactica, but also several other of Fame’s husband’s business endeavors. On Courtney’s first day, Violet had told her that she was never allowed to look at, talk to or flirt with anyone wearing a suit. The girls from Galactica were above that, so she made her way to the desk, ignoring the men who either smiled, waved, or whistled after her.

Courtney slowly walked to the bar, got her tray, took a long look at the delicious pizza that was on display before she got a salmon salad and a diet Coke. She looked around the cafeteria again, locating an empty table by the door. This would have to do.

Laganja had arrived in the office that morning, arms full of boxes with invitations to Fashion Week. The invitations had been sorted, and now they only needed the nitty gritty about how to get everyone from A to B and to make sure everything was covered.

Courtney might’ve been doing not so great as an assistant, but she wasn’t as stupid as Violet thought she was. She knew perfectly well Violet sent her for a long, early lunch break just to get rid of her, and that hurt. Courtney knew she could help, but Violet had told her it was too important a task, and that Courtney would have other opportunities to prove herself. Laganja had just stood there, an apologetic smile on her lips, not sticking up for Courtney at all.

She should’ve told Violet she didn’t appreciate being treated this way, but she was afraid the other girl would just yell at her again.

Sitting down, Courtney started picking at her salad, carefully removing all the onion bits, when she heard a voice. “Is this seat taken?” She didn’t even look up, almost sure the question wasn’t directed at her.

“Hello? Miss? Is this seat taken?”

Okay, maybe the question was directed at Courtney after all. Finally looking up, her eyes landed on a boy in front of her, holding a tray of his own. “Yes – yes, of course. Sorry.”

“Thank you.” He flashed her a smile, sitting opposite of her, eyes not leaving her face. He was slim and handsome, with bleached blond hair falling on his forehead, and definitely not a suit, since he was wearing a denim jacket.

“Why does a gorgeous lady like you eat lunch alone?”

“It’s not always like that, I swear! I have friends!” Courtney blushed over her rushed words, but thankfully the boy kept smiling, tilting his head. “I guess my colleague just wanted to get rid of me today.” Courtney looked down into her food, picking some more at the onions. Violet had several times instructed Courtney that she was never ever allowed to eat onions at work since Fame hated the smell of them, and could detect the vegetable on your breath even after gum.

“Do you want me to find that colleague and give them a lesson on how to be a decent human being?”

Courtney laughed. The stranger was amusing and so, so very nice. “Thank you! But I’m afraid you would only make it worse if you did that…”

“I’m Willam”, he extended a hand over their trays. “No extra i”, he added with a wink.

“Courtney. Nice to meet you.” Courtney grabbed Willam’s hand, giving it a firm shake as her daddy had taught her. “Do you work here? Or for us I mean, you don’t look like a suit and I think I haven’t seen you before.”

“No”. Willam shook his head. “I’m a journalist. I have an interview with the head of social media of Galactica today.”

“Oh! Pearl! I know her!”

“She’s kind of late, and I’m kind of glad.”

“Yeah… Pearl isn’t the best at being anywhere on time…”

Willam watched Courtney struggle to open her can of Coke with her long nails before he intercepted the can, opened it, and handed it back to her. “If she arrived on time, I wouldn’t have met you.”

Maybe it was good that Violet made Courtney take that early lunch break. Maybe it was the universe telling her where she was supposed to be at that moment.

“So, Courtney. What do you do?”

Courtney took a deep breath, and started talking, not even once thinking about the confidentiality agreement she had signed on her first day.

***  
  
“And so the entire week ends with you on the front row at Oscar De La Renta and drinks at the Chester at the Gansevoort Hotel.”

Fame nodded, looking at Pearl with a small smile on her face. The two of them were in Fame’s office, the leftovers of their dinner thrown in Fame’s trash can. It was dark outside and the entire floor was quiet as Fame had sent everyone home before her meeting with Pearl about the final details of the Fashion Week schedule.

“Well done. Does the timetable hold?”

“Violet made it herself, so I’m betting on it.”

Fame nodded once again; there was a slight pounding in her temple as a headache tried to bloom. Fame had worked close to 14-hour days for the last week and she was exhausted, the time she spend at the office only a fraction of the time she spend working at home.

“Miss.”

Fame looked at Pearl, a smile growing on her face.

“Yes, Pearl?”

“Let me help you… Please?”

Fame laughed, a short happy sound. Pearl knew her so very well, could see how tired and wound up she was, even if she tried to hide it.

Fame smiled and gently spread her legs, her skirt riding up a little.

Pearl smiled and dropped to the floor instantly, once again happy for the soft carpet Fame had installed in her office. She looked up at Fame, a teasing smile on her lips as she moved in between Fame legs.

Pearl could feel that Fame was impatient, that all the pent up energy and stress inside of her needed to come out, so she didn’t spend time on teasing, she simply hooked her thumbs into Fame’s underwear and pulled it down.

Fame sighed a little, and Pearl smiled. She had guessed right then. Pearl grabbed Fame’s leg and hooked it over her shoulder.

“Pearl!” Fame gasped, but she sounded only mildly surprised and had already arranged her skirt so she could look at Pearl’s head between her legs.

Pearl shot her a cheeky grin and proceeded to place a playful kiss on the side of her mound, the skin oh so soft and tender underneath her lips. Fame was already growing wet, and Pearl smiled.

She proceeded to lick a wide stripe along Fame’s slit with her tongue. Pearls’ lipstick smeared, but nothing else mattered when she could eat Fame out, hear her make the pleased little moans that were already escaping her.

She mouthed over the outside of Fame’s pussy, marveling at how smooth and silky her skin was. Pearl preferred it that way, and laser was a gift from the gods to any lesbian in the fashion industry.

She sucked her soft flesh into her mouth, nibbled and teased with her teeth and groaned loud enough for her to hear. Fame’s fingers dug into her shoulder, the other finding her hair, nails digging into her scalp.

She parted her folds to caress the delicate flesh before stiffening her tongue into a point and pushed inside Fame, enjoying the taste on her lips.

Pearl roamed her hands over Fame’s slim ankles, rubbed at the sensitive backs of her knees, and when she finally got to Fame’s thighs, she could feel the tension in the other woman’s muscles and knew that it was time to go in for the kill.

Pearl reached for Fame’s clit, stroking it lightly with her thumb, careful of her nails, while she pulled back the hood with her other fingers. The effect was instant: Fame clamped down around her tongue, her leg coiled tightly around Pearl’s back as her hips started to rock against her. Pearl kept at it, quickening her pace until Fame spasmed and came with a soft gasp.

Pearl slowly eased off of the pressure on her clit. Fame didn’t like being overstimulated, but she didn’t stop licking into her.

As Fame started to relax once again, Pearl moved her head upwards and took Fame’s clit between her lips, drawing a few moans from Fame when she swirled her tongue. Fame was always so quiet, so very quiet that any sounds at all felt like a victory.

Pearl pushed two fingers into her, changing to lapping at her back to front, side to side, while her free hand gripped Fame’s hip, an attempt to steady them both.

Gradually, she worked at increasing her rhythm, until she was flicking her tongue over Fame as rapidly as she could; she flexed her fingers to rub against the front of her walls. That move made Fame whimper, and so Pearl pumped her fingers faster, fucked her harder.

Fame came with a moan as she clenched around her, but this time, Pearl didn’t stop, forcing Fame right through her orgasm and only slowing down when she was whimpering and squirming in her grasp.

After Fame’s last whimper, Pearl withdrew her fingers and licked all over Fame one last time.

The other woman tugged on her tie to make her stand, which Pearl did.

Fame looked at her, a chuckle leaving her, no doubt caused by the wetness that was covering Pearl’s entire face.

“Thank you, pet.”

“I aim to please, Miss.”

***

“Hey Smeags” Max smiled as he opened the door to his pet iguana’s cage. “Look what I got you.”

Max held out his hand, and Smeags quickly crawled onto it, the sounds of David Bowie filling Max’s room as he gently fed Smeags the snow peas and dandelions he had gotten for his little four-legged best friend.

Max loved hanging out with Smeags, the small creature an excellent companion for when he edit photos on his giant Macbook or when he developed photos in his small dark room. Fame had tried to talk Max into moving his studio to Galactica several times, but Max didn’t really like having to work in someone else’s space.

Max knew he was slightly weird like that, but he didn’t care. As long as he was happy, no one else’s opinion matters.

 


	6. Chapter 6

“Court, are you sure this is a good idea?”

“Of course it is!”

“Okay, okay!” Adore laughed. The girls were sitting on the bath mat in Courtney’s small bathroom, an abandoned pizza box on the toilet seat. Adore had tried to talk Courtney into coming out of the small room several times, but Courtney had refused.

Courtney had called Adore earlier that night since she had been unable to sleep. Whenever she drifted off, she would have a nightmare about the upcoming week. The first fashion show started tomorrow and Courtney was equal parts excited and terrified. Courtney had to do something, anything, to take back control.

“Sit still!” Adore took a large sip of her beer before she snapped on a pair of rubber gloves.

“Do you want Cleo Rose, or Cotton Candy pink?”

“Cotton Candy of course! Duh!”

“You’re gonna look so fucking badass, girl, like an amazon, but like… glamorous. Like a glamazon!”

Courtney nodded, a drunk giggle leaving her as she felt Adore’s hands in her hair, the faint smell of chemicals filling the room.

***

Trixie was standing in front of his closet, two shirts in his hand. One was a fun Hawaiian one with a psychedelic print and another was an “approved by Fame” black turtleneck. Trixie sighed and pulled on the turtleneck. He loved Fashion Week, loved all the inspiration and all of the interesting people, but the long lines, the incredibly skinny models and the general chaos were some of his least favorite things. Thankfully he wouldn’t be going to Europe this year, which meant he would at least escape the French.

“Baby, your car is here!”

“Coming!” Trixie grabbed his phone, wallet and a pair of sunglasses before he left the room he shared with Katya, ready to face the day.

Katya was standing by the door, a bright smile on her face as she held out a backpack to him.

“… What’s that?”

“It’s your backpack, silly!” Katya laughed. The backpack was a stylish black one, but as soon as Katya opened it, an explosion of colour appeared.

“I packed your camera, your powerbank, a few of your business cards and some snacks, just in case you get hungry. There’s also a secret compartment with a map and 20 dollars for a taxi if you get lost!”

Trixie blushed, equally parts ashamed and happy with Katya.

“You’re like my mom, but like… cool.”

“You always know what to say to a girl.”

Katya laughed and helped Trixie put the backpack on.

“Now go, unless you want to be late!”

“I love you.”

“I love you too, sugarbutt.”

***

SUTAN: Hey lovely eyes, what shows are you catching today?

VIOLET: How did you get this number??

SUTAN: I asked Raja since you never answer your private phone when you’re at work ;)

VIOLET: Yes. That is because I am at work, working.

SUTAN: It’s Fashion Week baby, time to let loose and have fun! Now tell me where you’ll be.

VIOLET: Maybe you should ask Raja ;)

SUTAN: Touché.

***

“B-giiirl! Bathsheba, the girl from the biiiible, my heterosexual life partner!”

Bible hadn’t seen what hit her until she got a wet, sloppy kiss from Pearl, right on the mouth.

“Pearlie!” Bible laughed as she took in Pearl’s appearance. It was Thursday morning, and Pearl had small pieces of multicolored confetti in her long hair. Bible laughed and took Pearl’s hand, dragging her best friend into one of the corners at the Lincoln Center, were the majority of the shows of Fashion Week happened.

“Did you even go home last night?” Bible had a shit-eating grin on her face as she picked the pieces of confetti out of Pearl’s hair, quickly finding a hairband in her bag, expertly collecting Pearl’s hair in a high bun. Bible and Pearl had known each other for years, becoming friends when Bible first came to New York, back when she only had 50,000 Instagram followers. Bible’s real name was Bathsheba since she had weirdly Christian parents, but since her online handle was Biblegirl, everyone had started calling her that all the time.

“I don’t think so… But there was this really bitchin’ party out in Brooklyn with Line & Label.”

Bible looked down at Pearl’s body. “Your clothes look clean. Is that a Chanel?”

Pearl grabbed the front of her dress and pulled on it, trying to identify the fabric.

“I think so, someone gave it to me when I got here. I think it was a girl I fucked last spring… Maybe.”

“You’re the only person I know who can show up to Fashion Week shitfaced and get free Chanel.” Bible laughed and placed her sunglasses on Pearl’s face. “Now let’s go find you a Bloody Mary and our seats, the show is about to start.”

***

“Ouch! What the fuck bitch, don’t punch me!”

Bianca rolled her eyes; she has merely elbowed her sister in the side, trying to get her attention. The two of them were sitting at the front row, waiting for the Marc Jacobs show to start.

Bianca took off her sunglasses and used them to point across the room, flashing a smile at the paparazzi who went insane the minute she took off her shades.

“Who’s that over there, Adore? The one who just waved at you.”

“Who?” Adore looked up from her phone, an excited smile on her face. “Oh…” Adore chewed her lip, clearly not excited anymore.” That’s just Miss Fame, Bianca. Don’t you know her? Are you getting Alzheimer’s at your old age? Should I be worried?”

“Well, no shit it’s her. You should stop spending so much time on twitter and actually use your eyes. I mean the one with the pink hair.”

“Oh! That’s Courtney!” Adore waved enthusiastically, unfortunately not catching the attention of Courtney, who had found her seat on the back row, far away from both of them and Fame.

“She’s one of my best friends, I can’t believe you don’t know that! I post pictures with her all the time! We used to sing together in our badass college band, didn’t you listen to the demos I sent you?”

“Don’t be stupid. When did Fame get a new assistant?”

Adore shrugged, clearly done with the conversation.

“Like three weeks ago or something. I’m not sure, I don’t keep track of Courtney’s schedule. Do you like her hair? I totally colored it yesterday!”

The girl in question, her hair tinted bubble gum pink, was wearing a frilly pink skirt and a silky dress shirt, seeming completely star struck at the situation she found herself in, even if she was sitting at the back row.

Bianca didn’t know why, but when the show was over, she realized she had spent more time looking at Courtney’s lively, excited face than at the clothes on the runway.

***  
  
Courtney was sitting in the car, positively vibrating with excitement. Even if she had only seen the show from the back row, it had been amazing. The lights, the music, the girls and the clothes. All of it had seemed like a dream, a perfect dream. Courtney was determined; she could do her job, she could be a fashion girl, and with her new amazing hair and confidence she would kick all the ass.

Courtney was pulled out of her thoughts when the car door opened and Violet slid in besides her.

“Thank god, I thought I would never find the car! I always forget how crazy it is at Lincoln center.” Violet didn’t even look at Courtney as she talked, her concentration on her wallet as she pulled out a 20 dollar note and handed it to the driver. “Get us to Bryant Park, and then you can get yourself lunch. Please remember to pick us up at 4:30 sharp.”

“Yes Miss.”

The driver smiled at Violet, quickly snatching the 20 dollars from her hand as he pulled out from the curb.

“Has everything gone well so far? Did Fame make it to the show? Did you like it?”

Violet was still roaming around in her bag, not giving Courtney time to answer her before she pulled out several food items.

“I got you a juice, a protein bar and a sandwich. You must be starving, I couldn’t remember if you liked avocado so I just got you ham and chee-”

Violet looked up for the first time since she got in the car, horror filling her face and a loud scream leaving her lips which almost made the driver crash their car when she saw Courtney’s hair.

“What have you done to your hair!?”

“You don’t like it?”

Courtney felt dread fill her entire body. It had seemed like such a good idea yesterday, Adore had told her it looked “bitchin” in the brunettes own words, and her mom had loved it on Facebook.

“Oh god, please tell me it’s a wig, Courtney, please tell me it’s a wig!”

Violet looked almost desperate as she took in Courtney’s appearance, the bubblegum pink hair and the pink skirt which was a completely different shade from the hair.

Violet’s comment didn’t make Courtney sad, scared or any of the feelings she usually felt whenever she knew Violet was about to rip her apart. This time, Courtney got angry.

“No, I dyed MY hair pink. My hair, not yours! The last time I checked there wasn’t any company policy against unnatural hair colors!”

Courtney’s answer made Violet laugh, a strange joyless laugh.

“Like you have ever read them! Are you trying to ruin my life, Courtney?!”

“Your life, your life!” The driver had rolled up his window, clearly desperate not to follow the fight between the two girls. “What about my life? This last month has been a living hell!”

“Oh boo hoo, cry me a river, you self-centered bitch!”

Courtney had never felt so angry before in her entire life, but Violet matched her outburst after outburst, their energies clashing against each other.

“Like you’re the first person in the history of mankind to make sacrifices!”

“You can’t decide what I do with my body!”

“Yes I can! I am your superior and you do not make these decisions without consulting me first! Do you not understand how self-centered you are being right now? Not everything is about you!”

“Well, everything isn’t about you either! Why is what I do so important to you?!”

At Courtney’s last words, Violet deflated completely, like she had just realized something.

“We’re never gonna make it… There is no way I will ever get my promotion.”

Courtney stopped yelling; Violet’s reaction was the complete opposite of what she had expected.

“What? What do you mean?” Courtney’s hand had found a lock of her hair, anxiously pulling on it. “Because of my hair?”

“I’m supposed to keep you in line, you’re my responsibility; you have to be ready for November to take my position and then you pull something like this!” Violet stomped her foot down into the bottom of the car, anger radiating off her, but this time it seemed like all of it was directed at herself

“I’m never getting my promotion; I’ll be stuck as an assistant forever!”

“Violet… I’m… I’m really sorry.”

“No, it’s fine.” Violet sighed and fell back into her seat. “I don’t need the promotion. I’ll just be an assistant for the rest of my life, because there is no way in hell you will make it through your 90 days of probation. It’s not like the support lead designer position is my dream or anything.” Violet pressed her fingers into her temple. “It’s fine that I won’t get my dream job because you’re, well… You’re you ALL the time and every time I think you’re finally getting it, even a little, you do something that takes us right back to square one, like dying your hair pink on the first day of Fashion Week! Not at all understanding the potential consequences of your decisions.”

“Oh…” Courtney looked at Violet. She reached out, gently placing her hand on the other woman’s knee. “I’m sorry ViVi… I didn’t realize you had so much riding on me doing well.”

“Don’t call me ViVi. And also…” Violet sighed again, placing her hand on top of Courtney’s. “It’s your hair and your decision… I just wish you would’ve warned me when you do stuff like this. Like, all I’m asking for is a text so I won’t accidentally drop food everywhere.” Violet smiled a little, looking down at the sandwich and juice she had dropped on the floor. “I’m sorry, Courtney… I’m glad you stood up for yourself, I’m sorry I shouted at you, and I honestly think the cotton candy pink suits you.” Violet chuckled as she saw Courtney’s face light up at the compliment. “Now all we can do is hope that Miss Fame will appreciate your artistic choices as well.”

***  
  
Max felt an arm sneak around his waist, distracting him from the girl he was just about to chase down to get a picture of. He turned around and smiled when he saw who is was.

“So do you like the new camera I got you, sweetheart?”

“Hey Miss.”

“Have you found anything interesting?”

Fame smiled, looking up at Max. Even with heels, Fame barely made it to Max’s shoulder.

“I think I got some pretty good shots, do you want to see them?”

“I’d love that, darling.”

Max and Fame quickly found a seat in a nearby VIP lounge where Max got a drink for each of them. Fame lazily sipped on her glass of rosé as Max showed her the pictures he had taken so far that day.

“How has your day been?” Max put away his camera, watching the other partygoers out of the corner of his eye, looking for anything and anyone interesting.

“Well enough I suppose, for the first day of course. I ran into Carmen Carrera who had the most horrible attitude about the fact that we ended up scrapping her for our autumn ready-to-wear.”

Fame took a sip of her drink, enjoying the fact that she could spend a few quiet moments with Max.

“I told her that it wasn’t personal, simply professional of course, and that life will continue. The amount of attention some of these models require is exhausting.”

“But she does take stunning photos.”

“That she does, that she does.”

***

“Will? Boss wants to see you.” Rhea drummed her nails on top of Willam’s desk. It was 9 in the morning on a horribly grey day, even if New York was bustling for the first day of Fashion Week.

Willam sighed, irritated. Today was definitely not a good time for being chewed out by your boss, but then again, was there ever a good time? And it was not like Willam had a choice.

“I’m going, I’m going.” He quickly fixed his hair, using his computer screen as a mirror, and made his way to the editor’s office.

Detox was seated behind his desk, flawless in a dark purple suit, his back turned to the almost but not quite good view from the 10th floor of the building where OK! Magazine was housed, his face half-covered by an iPad.

Willam stopped in the doorway and cleared his throat, trying to get his boss attention.

“Willam”, said Detox, not dignifying him with a look.

“Yes. Willam. I believe you sent for me, not for Leonardo DiCaprio.”

That snapping comment made Detox put down his iPad and look at Willam with an annoyed look in his eyes.

“Thank you for the attitude in the morning, Belli. I hope you’re applying that same attitude to your current task,” he said, a sour note prominent in his voice.

Willam really wanted to slam something into the desk, preferably Detox’s face so he could beat that smug face off his boss stupid face. That or break his iPad, it wasn’t like he couldn’t afford a new one. Maybe Willam should just steal it instead, it would serve the dickhead right.

“I am doing my best, Detox. I talked to Miss Fame’s assistant for like an hour two days ago, believe me, but all she gave me was some irrelevant shit, like how many Post-It blocks they had her order and how she finds it ridiculous. She was also very emotional about the fact that they didn’t let her get the pink ones. I swear to God boss, the girl is worthless.”

“Do you think I care?” Detox’s annoyed look turned into an icy cold one. He even crossed his arms on his chest, leaning back in his chair.

“You were supposed to pull this off. You promised me you could, and this is the second person you’re trying to crack without any results! You’ve spent more than a month on this already, and we’ve still got nothing, not a thing, on Fame and her company. I think I’ve had it, Willam.”

“I just – I need more time! Please, I can do this. The assistant girl, she trusts me. I will make her talk.”

Detox picked up his iPad again, signaling that the conversation was nearing the end. “You better do. Now out of my face, make yourself useful.”

Oh, Willam will make himself useful. He was going to make himself so useful that one day he will be the one who doesn’t have to look at Detox when he speaks to him.  
  
He made sure to slam the door a little on his way out.

***  
  
 “Yes, no, yes, thank you. Yes, tomorrow please. No. No it’s urgent.” A waiter led Violet through the restaurant where she had arrived only a few minutes earlier, asking for Mr. Amrull’s table. “Yes, yes, I will confirm, thank you. I will see you tomorrow then.” Violet smiled as she spotted the back of Sutan’s head. She absent-mindedly smiled to the waiter, a thank you and a sorry falling from her lips before her attention immediately went back to her phone where she was tapping out an e-mail.  
  
Sutan had texted Violet and asked her if she had wanted to have dinner with him at Sushi Nakazawa and Violet had accepted, desperately needing some calm and quiet time with Sutan after the day she had.

“I had to call our electricians since there was a problem with the installment of the light bulbs I had purchased, and then they said the overall construction of the runway can’t be done in time even if they had specifically stated in their contract that they could, so I had to find another company that could come in and help them, and I’m still trying to get the last of the confirmations in and I can’t trust Courtney with any of it, bless her heart and I’m honestly really, really sorry I’m late.”

Violet quickly slide into the booth besides Sutan, giving him a sweet and short kiss before she dove right back into her phone, clearly trying to get her work done as soon as possible so she could be in the moment with Sutan.

“Well, you’re here now, and that’s all that matters, lovely eyes.” Violet could hear the teasing tone in Sutan’s voice, could feel his arm sneak around her waist and she leaned into his side as she quickly finished the last two of her emails.

“Thank you.” Violet smiled, putting her phone away before she gently gave his neck a kiss as she whispered “Can I come home with you tonight, please?”

Violet didn’t even hear Sutan’s reply, before she heard someone laughing. Violet looked up, and felt her stomach drop when she noticed that she and Sutan weren’t alone at the table.

Seated across from them were the Indonesian Supermodel and the Russian Glamazon, Raja Amrull and Raven Petruschin. Better known to Violet as Raja, her boss and twin to Sutan, and Raven, her boss’ fiancée.

“You look absolutely ravishing in red, Violet.”

Raven smiled sweetly at the younger woman. Violet quickly touched her cheek, trying to feel if it was warm, if it was because she was blushing, but judging by the expression on Raven’s face, the other woman had meant the compliment she had just given.

“Thank you.” Violet said quietly. “I found it in that great designer resale shop on the Upper East Side.”

Violet felt like she knew Raven well enough to know that if she gave out a compliment, she meant it, and Violet hadn’t been able to detect even a touch of sarcasm or ridicule in Raven’s silky voice.

Violet smiled a little, growing slightly more confident in the situation. Sutan’s hand was still around her waist, and like her fiancée Raja, Raven was not easily swayed by beautiful faces and petty words. Any compliment from either the Russian or the Indonesian models meant a lot, which meant that they were okay with her being there, all three of them.

“Hello Raja. Hello Raven, I apologize for being late, and for being so rude before.” Violet’s voice had grown a little in volume, but she was still looking down at her hands in embarrassment. She couldn’t believe she had kissed Sutan, not just on the mouth but on the neck, too, right in front of his sister.

Sutan laughed and gave Violet’s hair a kiss, his voice low as he spoke to her.

“Don’t feel shy. Now what do you want for your starters?”

“Umh...” Violet looked at the table and saw that the others were nearly finished. “Know what, it’s okay, it doesn-”

“Nonsense.” Sutan smiled, flagging a waiter to indicate that they would like to give an extra order.

“You don’t have to be so formal around us Violet, at least not when we’re off the clock.” Raja smiled teasingly and Violet nodded.

“In that case I’d like a bowl of Miso, if that’s okay?”

Sutan laughed, giving her a gentle squish.

“Don’t worry baby, daddy is paying for everything tonight.”

“Oh my God, shut up Sutan.” Raven laughed, getting a serious case of side eye from Sutan as he spoke with the waiter, a glass with water and a cup for sake appearing in front of Violet almost instantly.

Raja laughed too, quickly snatching of the last Hotate kataifis from Raven’s plate.

“Know what, we were actually just talking about you.” Raven nodded, filling Violet’s newly arrived sake glass.

“All good things I hope?” Violet took the glass Raven had just filled, taking a small sip as she still felt a little uncomfortable at the surprise double date.

“Oh yes yes, I was just giving TanTan and Rave the inside scoop.”

A waiter appeared with a bowl of soup for Violet, a refill on sweet and sour cucumbers for the table and cocktails for everyone.

“Don’t look like that, lovely eyes.” Sutan smiled. “It was only good things. She was just telling me about your attention to detail, and how much pride you put into your work, but then again, I already knew that even if someone loves to keep secrets from me.” Sutan looked at Violet, a proud look in his eyes before he gave her temple a kiss, which caused a gagging sound in Raven and a laugh in Raja.

“Oh…” Violet blushed a little. She thought back to her fight with Courtney in the taxi that very same day, and felt kinda shy as she stirred her soup around a little; it was thankfully a very small bowl so Violet didn’t feel too bad about finishing it off. “Thank you, Raja… I didn’t think anyone at work really noticed.”

“Oh, Fame and I definitely notice.” Raja smiled, polishing off her plate. “And knowing my favorite blonde the way that I do, it’s definitely appreciated.”

Violet bit her lip; if she had been anywhere else she would have done a happy dance. This was the first time either Raja or Fame had given her any kind of indication that they were happy with the work she was doing.

“But enough about work!” Raja threw up her hands. “We’re at a sushi restaurant, and I want sushi.” Violet laughed, happy to be out of the spotlight, finishing off her meal as Raja, Sutan and Raven discussed what they should order for everyone and as Violet fished the last piece of spring onion out of her bowl, the food had been ordered and the conversation had fallen to…work, yet again.

“I swear, if I have talk to another model about how interesting feathers are and how she just ‘looooves’ New York I’m going to stab myself, because it will be less painful,” Raja groaned as she slumped down into her seat, absentmindedly running her fingers through her long black hair.

“Oh come on, you love talking to models, it brings you back to your glory days.” Raven laughed and nudged Raja in the side, her phone in her hand. “The amazing Raja Gemini, the Indonesian supermodel that took the 90s and 2000s by storm.”

Raven had checked her phone in the pause between courses, and had even had time to snapchat a quick picture with Raja.

“If we can’t talk about the wonderful world of fashion, the next best thing is to talk about people.” Raven finished with a smirk, and looked at Sutan.

“Seriously?” Sutan had just finished talking with the waiter, ordering for all of them at once. “You’re so mean, you know that, right Rave?”

“I’m mean, but it comes from a place of general love and mild distaste, so really I’m just a neutral party in this conversation.”

Raven shot Sutan an innocent smile and a wink to Violet, who giggled a little.

“So Violet, how long have you been seeing our darling TanTan?”  
Raven laughed when she was rewarded with a very puzzled look from Violet and a sigh and an exasperated smile from Sutan.

“Not that long… About three weeks I think.”

“19 days since our first real date.”

Violet looked up at Sutan, a surprised look on her face, her hand finding Sutan’s knee underneath the table. They hadn’t had any kind of talk about their relationship, and honestly Violet had not expected Sutan to remember anything like that at all. Raja lifted an eyebrow, still very surprised at how happy her brother seemed compared to the short amount of time he had known Violet.

“So you’ve been to his apartment?”

“Yes…” Violet blushed, clearly shy about the fact that she had been at Sutan’s apartment. “A couple of times.”

“Well, you’re lucky that you have the place to yourself.” Raven laughed. “When I first started dating Raja, she and TanTan still lived together, and let me tell you…if it wasn’t for the fact that I know they’re twins, and that Raja is as gay as they come, I would have thought that they were the couple and I was the 3rd wheel instead of Sutan being the odd one out.”

Violet smiled, quickly moving her glass as their main course was placed on the table. Sutan had ordered a big plate of sushi to share and Raja and Raven started to dig in instantly. Violet and Sutan briefly play-fighting with their chopsticks over a vegetable roll, the table falling into easy conversation until everyone had their fill on their plates.

“So.” Violet looked up, a smile on her face as she had just kicked Sutan underneath the table for trying to steal her food. “Tell me about this mythical apartment sharing.”

“Girl, it was so bad, sometimes they would start talking half sentences, blurt out random words-”

“Otherwise known as Indonesian.” Sutan smiled.

“It was the full nine yards.”

“Was it really that bad?” Violet giggled, looking at the two siblings before taking a sip of her drink.

“Oh girl, believe, have you ever seen the black and gold bathrobe that Sutan owns?”

“The Versace in the bathroom?”

Raven laughed at the promptness of Violet’s answer. “How are you so good at brands? Anyway! Raja has one that matches in white. And more often than not, whenever I would come over, especially on a non-work day, I’d walk through the door and they’d be sitting on the couch, junk food, beer cans, wine bottles and empty Chinese take-out containers around them.” Raja laughed, while Sutan poked out his tongue and mumbled something that sounded a lot like “hater”

“Oh my god, that’s hilarious!” Violet looked at Sutan, Christmas lights in her eyes. She couldn’t imagine her sophisticated Sutan behaving like that, but then again, she had seen the bottom of his clothes and knew that he had changed a lot through the years.

“I never would have guessed, but at the same time I can totally see it, them wearing the exact same outfit.”

Raven had taken a sip of her drink when she very clearly had just remembered something. “Oh my god, I totally forgot the stupid arguing over the blue fringed kimono top!”

“No, no, Raven I swear, don’t tell the story about the kimono, I will-”

Violet laughed, placing a hand on Sutan’s arm, which made him calm down right away.

“Please tell me everything, right now, was the argument ever resolved?”

“Not at all!” Raven laughed, happily eating and drinking as she entertained the table.

“Thanks for throwing me under the bus, Raven.” Sutan flipped Raven off, which made Violet laugh again.

“Sutan, the argument is over.” Raja smiled and crossed her arms, clearly enjoying Sutan’s pain. “The kimono isn’t your style, color or shape, and you said I could have it.”

“I did not, you took it out of my wardrobe when I was sleeping, and after almost 6 years, you have yet to return it. I still want that kimono back.”

Raja laughed, picking the last couple of rolls off the communal plate. “You weren’t “asleep”, you were fucking hammered, passed out in the bathtub after you had declared that your bed wasn’t comfortable enough for you, because and I quote,” Raja made eye contact with Violet, “I’m the king of the castle, and the bed of the peasants displeases me, bring me my royal porcelain bowl!”

“I did not!”

“You so did.”

“I think it’s cute.” Violet giggled and leaned into Sutan’s side, the drinks in her blood making her uninhibited enough that she could behave like she usually would in Sutan’s company.

“Anyway, you never wore it, you didn’t need it, and if Raven hadn’t told on me you would never have noticed that I had taken it as payment for taking care of you and pretending I was mama and calling your job to let them know you were sick and wouldn’t be in today.”

The waiters had come back to clean their table, Raja, Sutan and Raven ordering dessert while Violet requested a cup of tea and quietly asked if she could have a bite of Sutan’s.”

“You’re the worst, Rajie, I wish I still had stories to tell Raven about you, but unfortunately I’m all out.”

“Awww.” Violet smiled playfully, gently stroking Sutan’s arm trying not to laugh at his sour expression. This night had turned out a lot better than expected. “It’s gonna be ok.”

“Do you wanna hear the story about how Sutan jumped off the roof?” Raven smiled excitedly.

“Do you even have to ask!?” Violet laughed, excited about the fact that she had to chance to get to know not only Sutan, but also Raja and Raven better.

“You have created a monster and turned lovely eyes against me, for shame Raven, you were supposed to be on my side.” Sutan smiled, enjoying the fact that Violet had snuggled into his side, no longer shy.

“Oh hush, Sutan, if I don’t tell Violet these stories then who can I tell? Besides, they’re funny stories.” Raven laughed, smiling as the waiter arrived with their dessert and drinks.

***

“I love your little chubchub.” Katya smiled, gently rubbing Trixie’s belly. She laughed as Trixie’s stomach barely bounced back when she poked it.

“Well, that is what happens when you eat a large pepperoni pizza all by yourself.”

Katya laughed again. She crawled on top of Trixie’s lap. Trixie had come home from the first day of Fashion Week where he practically collapsed into the bed the second he had opened the door to their bedroom. Katya had taken one look at Trixie, grabbed the phone, ordered pizzas from Trixie’s favorite place and found their collection of Disney films before Trixie had even kicked off his pants.

“Ouch, careful!” Trixie laughed, trying to move so he could shift Katya’s weight, taking the pressure off his stomach, but it only held him down. The two of them had watched Beauty and The Beast and The Little Mermaid and now they were just lounging around, both of them half naked as Trixie had spent the delivery time of the pizza eating Katya out.

Katya leaned down to kiss Trixie’s cheek before pulling away slowly, her hand trailing down his face, gently caressing it.

“My big, strong designer man.”

Trixie smiled, his eyes filled with love as he looked up at Katya.

“You’re the most beautiful woman in the world.”

“Even after you have spent the day looking at models?” Katya’s tone was teasing, but Trixie could see the insecurity in her eyes, which broke his heart.

“The most beautiful woman in all of the world.”

Katya leaned down again, kissing Trixie, her hands buried in his hair as she started to slowly rut against him.

Trixie moaned, letting Katya take complete control of their movements, letting her grab his hands and hold them above his head.

“Let me see you, baby…”

Katya smiled, biting Trixie’s lip.

“Say it again.”

“I want to see you, please, let me see you.”

Katya laughed and sat up, Trixie keeping his hands above his head without her having to tell him. She pulled her shirt over her head, letting it fall to the floor.

“Please Katya, please.” Trixie felt like he was about to vibrate out of his skin, he wanted her so badly, wanted to be inside her.

“Sssh, ssh.” Katya smiled; she felt powerful, so beautiful, she felt like she could do anything as she looked into Trixie’s eyes, saw the love in them as she guided Trixie inside of her, took him all the way in before she leaned forward again, crashing their lips together as they both cashed their completion.

Trixie moaned, drowning in the scent and feel of Katya. Trixie was fuller than he’d been in a long, long time, and as Katya rode him, he dug his hands into her hips and grabbed her perfect tits and felt the sloshing in his stomach send waves of intense pleasure to his dick. Trixie felt pleasure crash over him and he finished with a roar deep inside of Katya. She had to slap her hand over Trixie’s mouth to keep him quiet. Katya sank down on Trixie’s chest, giggling uncontrollably, panting with the aftermath of her own silent orgasm.

“Ssh, ssh baby, ssh, Max is home, ssh.” Katya’s laugh sounded like the sweetest music in Trixie’s ears. He felt drunk on happiness, sleepy and completely at peace with the world.

“I love you so fucking much” he groaned.

Katya gave him a wet, messy, final kiss. “I love you too.”

***  
  
“It almost feels weird that you’re still here.”

Violet laughed. “You asshole.”

The two of them were standing together side by side in Sutan’s bathroom in front of the double sink, Violet dressed in a sheer morning robe while she carefully curled her lashes, her bag of makeup placed at her elbow.

“I’m just saying, you usually disappear before the sun is even up whenever you stay over.”

“I have to be at work at 7:30, and you know I have gym before that.”

“I know, I know.” Sutan rinsed his razor before he continued to shave off his morning stubble.

“Thankfully, no sane fashion designer starts their shows before 10, I don’t think I’ve slept in this long for weeks.”

“What is your first show today?”

“Rhié, what about you?”

“The Polite show, African print and design is the new black.”

“Isn’t that technically a racist thing to say?”

Sutan laughed. Violet never stopped surprising him. When they had arrived at his building yesterday after the restaurant visit, Violet had stopped in the lobby and had shyly asked him not to get mad, before she collected a Louis Vuitton weekend bag from his doorman. The bag was filled with everything she would need to stay over without any of their usual problems arising the next morning.

Violet had apparently sent a messenger over to his apartment the day before, asking the doorman to keep her bag for her in the reception, “just in case”, as she had said herself when he asked her why it was there.

Violet’s mouth was hanging slightly open as she applied mascara to her long lashes, slowly but steadily transforming into the femme fatale Sutan knew.

“Stop staring, you’re distracting me.”

“Am not.”

“Am too.” Violet made eye contact with Sutan in the mirror and they both laughed, Sutan leaned over and kissed Violet’s cheek, pieces of foam clinging to her skin.

“Urgh, you asshole, look what you did”, Violet laughed as she tried to wipe away the foam, but Sutan simply picked her up and placed her on the edge of the sink, capturing her mouth in a sweet kiss, the fact that the foam was messing up her makeup forgotten by both of them.

***

Pearl was standing outside, a cigarette hanging from her mouth as she was checking twitter on her phone. There was a light rain, and normally Pearl would be beyond annoyed, but it was nice to have a few minutes of peace and quiet. She loved Fashion Week, she loved to be busy, but she had been to 9 different events in the last four days, and she had only slept in her own bed one single night when Trixie had practically dragged her home from a party, promising that he would buy tacos for her if she came.

“Fuck fuck fuck fuck.” Pearl looked up and saw Adore Delano run across the park, her jacket over her head as she tried not to get her elaborate hairdo destroyed.

“Hey! Adore! Over here!” Pearl waved, catching the other girl’s attention. Adore saw Pearl and changed her course, running to get cover underneath the tent canvas Pearl was hiding under.

“Hey Pearlie!” Adore smiled. “What are you doing out here?”

“I’m waiting for Max Malanaphy.”

“Really? That’s dope.”

Pearl laughed, which made Adore blush. “Do you want a cigarette?”

“Yeah, sure, hit me.”

Adore took one of the cigarettes from Pearl, placing it between her lips, patting her pockets to look for a lighter, but Pearl was already one step ahead. “Let me get that for you.” Adore could practically feel her stomach do backflips as she leaned in, Pearl’s hands so close to her face as she protected the flame from the wind. Adore knew it was dumb, knew it was embarrassing, but if you asked her, Pearl was one of the hottest girls in all of Manhattan.

-

“Done!” Alaska smiled to the model she had just finished painting, and raised her hand, flagging down Fame who was walking around the backstage area of their Bryant Park tent. It was the third day of Fashion week, and Galactica was one of the last shows to happen that day, which meant that everyone was trying their best to get the show together.

“Yes Alaska?”

“So, I tried the Black Cherry lipstick, but do you think it’s dark enough?”

Alaska had just finished with the first model; her and Kim were responsible for hair and makeup, with the help of two other artists that had been hired specifically for the show.

Fame looked at the model, gently turning her head back and forth with a single finger on her jaw.

“Try Black Seduction or Velvet Noir, I don’t like Black Cherry with this skin tone.”

Alaska nodded and drawled. “Right away.”

Fame smiled; she had always liked Alaska and found the other’s vocal quirks entertaining.

“Let me see it with the shoes we’re using for her.”

Fame looked around, her smile disappearing as she couldn’t immediately find what she was looking for.

“Courtney?”

“Yes Miss!” Courtney was at Fame’s side instantly. Violet was at the other end of the tent, fighting the final battle with their contractors, so Courtney was left all alone to please Fame.

“Where are the shoes and the scarves, Courtney? They were here only moments ago, have you lost them?” Fame crossed her arms, an annoyed look on her face, which made Courtney take a deep breath before she could answer.

“They’re over there Miss, in the corner with Max.” Courtney pointed. “I moved them so they wouldn’t be in way…” Courtney looked at Fame, trying to see if she had screwed up again or not.

“As long as they’re all together. Get the Manolos and bring them to Alaska, and make sure no one moves them again.”

Courtney smiled, her entire face lighting up when Fame didn’t yell at her.

“Right away Miss!”

Fame looked at Courtney as she walked away. Her little pink haired assistant was quite a mystery; Fame knew that there was something going on behind the scenes since Courtney’s work effort and competence changed like the wind blew. Fame had been walking in her own thoughts, unaware of the fact that she had walked right past the hair station.

“Jesus Christ!” Fame coughed. “Are you trying to kill us all with that hairspray, Kim? We are not back in the 80s! Are you trying to kill the model?” Fame fanned away the thick fumes from the hairspray that Kim was using on one of the model’s hair.

Out of the corner of her eye, Fame saw Violet arrive backstage and all of a sudden she felt much more relaxed, a sense of calm filling her at the sight of Violet’s face, which was a feeling she would have to examine at a later date.

“Violet! There you are. How many times do I have to scream your name? Is everything going well, and where is my phone?”

Violet immediately stopped helping Raja organize the racks of clothing.

“It’s right here Miss!” Violet reached into her own bag, producing Fame’s cellphone. “Your husband called and asked for an extra invite to tonight’s after party, the lights are all working, I just had the last briefing with our security guards and I have send April off to the Manolo store to see if we can get a 6 and a half for our last model so no one will fall on the runway.”

Violet looked at Fame, waiting to see if there were any other tasks she would have to do.

“That’s all.”

“Yes Miss.”  
  
***

“Hi guys, I’m Pearl Liaison and I’m here with an exclusive behind the scenes look at the Galactica NY Fashion Week Show! I am joined today by the beautiful Carmen Carrera.” Pearl smiled and moved a little so Carmen, who was getting her hair done, could be seen by the camera Max was holding. “So Carmen, we’re doing a little segment we call “What’s in my bag”. What secrets do you keep tucked away in your bag that are essential to have during fashion week?”

Pearl held out the microphone to Carmen, who lifted up her bag.

“For me, a Fashion Week essential is always my hand sanitizer, because germs are definitely a thing in New York that is everywhere. Next, I have a cherry chapstick since crusty dry lips aren’t cute on anyone, least of all a model.”

Carmen smiled, she had a very natural connection to the camera, and Pearl barely had to guide her.

“You need water to stay hydrated, so that’s a must for me. I also have a little travel-sized bottle of my favorite perfume, so even after a long day I can still smell nice and fresh, and lastly, a good book since - these fittings can sometimes take forever.”

“Oh, I love it! Keeping it cute, practical and minimal.” Pearl laughed, as she turned back to the camera. “And I’m just going to ask since I know that everyone will want to know, but what bag are you wearing today? Because it is pretty fabulous.”

Carmen laughed.

“Well, I wanted to keep it small and minimal, while still being able to carry everything I need, so today I’m wearing my new Alexa bag by Mulberry.” Carmen held up her bag for the camera, showing it off. “It’s kinda unexpected for the season, but it works for me!” She finished with a dazzling smile towards Pearl.

“That’s awesome, and I think I need to look into that bag myself.” Pearl winked to the camera. “I’m going to let you get back to your book and let the makeup artists work their magic, so you can get ready for the show. ”

Pearl signed to Max, and Max turned the camera off. Pearl gave Carmen a brief hug and a thank you before her and Max started to see if they could find anyone else that they could interview.

“Come on Max, let’s see who wants to chat.”

“Ay ay captain!”

Pearl smiled happily as she spotted the Russian model who was taking a quick selfie with Miss Fame and Raja. She and Max wanted patiently until the group had broken up.

“Raven, Raven, Raven!”

“Hey Pearl, you look sickening, what’s up?” Raven smiled as she placed her phone on the table; she was already done with her hair and makeup and was only waiting for Trixie to fit her.

“Nothing much, I just wanted to see if you had a time to chat with me for our Youtube channel?”

“Oh sure!”

“Awesome! You can start filming again, Max.” Pearl gave Max a thumbs up as she turned to face the camera again.

“Hey guys, I’m here with one of the iconic faces of Galactica, Raven Petruschin, how are you darling?”

“I’m doing well, I’m feeling the jungle fantasy right now with this beautiful gown that fits amazingly. Trixie is a magician.” Raven stood up and did a full 360 of the dress for Max and the viewers before she sat down again. “I’m really hyped for the show, you can feel the anticipation in the air, I love it!” She finished with a laugh and wink.

“You look absolutely gorgeous in it. But if you have time, me and our viewers would love to know what are your top 5 essentials that can’t leave the house without, what bag are you wearing and one holy grail beauty secret.”

Pearl smiled when Raven nodded and she quickly moved out of the way to let Max zoom in on Raven.

“Well, I have to have my cigarettes and a lighter on me. I’m trying to cut down, but during Fashion Week they have saved many a life, most of all mine. I have to have my portable charger, because having a dead phone is never an option. Next must be my vitamins since I hate being sick, and a body like this needs all the help it can get. Lastly, a Tide pen because you never know when a stain is going to happen and you don’t want to walk around with unnecessary stains on your clothes with cameras everyone, oh, and I also keep at least 20 business cards on me at all times.” Raven narrated as she went through her bag, picking out things for Pearl and the camera to see.

“You just heard it from Raven Petruschin herself, having business cards on you is so essential in this industry.” Pearl smiled and looked at Raven’s bag.  
“So what brand is your bag? I love the material! It’s very you.”

“I know right? This is my baby, I got it from my manager Sutan Amrull at Elite as an engagement gift. It’s the Fendi 3Jours Python Mini Shopper and I looove it.” Raven laughed and hugged her bag. “It’s simple, but it’s still a statement piece, and I’m kinda obsessed with it. It is definitely going in my top 5 favorite bags.”

Pearl smiled as well and held her microphone out. “Before we let you go, what is a beauty secret you live by?“

“My mentor and great friend, RuPaul, always said “If you can’t love yourself, how in the hell are you gonna love somebody else?” And I always kept that with me and I can say, that is my beauty secret. If you can love yourself, with all your flaws and scars, then you will never be truly ugly”.

“Wow… That’s really profound, Raven..”

“There’s no amount of anti-aging creams or serums that can make you feel beautiful if you don’t love what you see in the mirror first”, said Raven with an air of finality.

“Well, you heard it here first, you all!” Pearl smiled and turned to face the camera. “I want to thank Raven for taking time to hang out with us, and we’ll see you next time!”

“See you on the runway!!” Raven laughed and waved bye to the camera.

***  
  
Courtney was leaving the Galactica show absolutely tired, a little drunk on celebratory champagne, and ridiculously happy. She had done well tonight. She really did amazing enough to deserve the admiration she saw for a second in Miss Fame’s eyes, and that was the ultimate prize. She didn’t want anything more.

She stepped out, one of the last people to be leaving the Bryant Park tent, and pulled her phone out to order a taxi, the wind ruffling her meticulously done hair.

“Hello, stranger.”

Courtney almost dropped the phone from freight before she recognized the man approaching her.

“Willam! What are you doing here?”

Willam, the boy she had met a while ago in the cafeteria at work, who had joined her for lunch and had let her talk her heart out, was wearing a well-fitted suit and carrying a bouquet of stunning pink roses. “I came to see the show, and now I’m waiting to congratulate the most beautiful girl who took part in it.”

Courtney felt her stomach drop. Oh. Willam was seeing one of the models then. Typical.

“Okay!” Courtney smiled, trying to remain resolute. “Is she not out yet?”

“She just came out.” Willam was still standing in front of her, grinning unabashedly, and that was the moment she realized. He was there for her.

“Oh. Oh! Are you serious?”

“Very much.” Willam handed Courtney the roses. She immediately smelled them, letting the scent she loved so much conquer all her senses. “You look out of this world. You really do.”

“Thank you. Thanks so much!” Courtney couldn’t stop smiling. She spent hours picking the dress and accessories for today, and it was an extra hard task with her new hair. Having Willam, who was so stylish and laid-back and cool, appreciate it, made her feel like the most beautiful girl in the place indeed. “Did you enjoy our show? I was in charge of getting the shoes to the model!”

“I have an idea”, said Willam, reaching for Courtney’s free hand and Courtney immediately accepted. “How about we talk somewhere nicer? It’s late, but I can still buy you a drink, or two if you’ll let me.”

The way he looked at her, bright eyes shining in the light of street neons, made something in Courtney’s stomach twist with anticipation and excitement. “You know what? Why not. Let’s go.”

 

 


	7. Chapter 7

“The Grand Hotel, please.”

“Right away ma’am.”

Katya didn’t bother correcting the cab driver as they started to make their way downtown. She checked her bag, just to make sure that she had the paper invitation to the Galactica afterparty that Trixie had given her. The Galactica parties were legendary and Trixie’s phone had been ringing off the hook since Pearl had announced on her twitter that the location had been booked.

Violet had rented out the entire hotel for the party, she had even booked a selected amount of hotel rooms for VIP guests if anyone ended up partying too hard. By the time that Katya’s taxi pulled up to the curb of the hotel, the paparazzi was there, their flashes and cameras going off again and again as they took pictures of the designers, bloggers, socialites, models and fashion editors who were arriving. Katya took a deep breath, but thankfully no one noticed her; they were all too busy taking pictures of Jinkx Monsoon who had just arrived as well, a reporter trying to get her to say a few words about Fashion Week so far.

“Hey sugarbutt.” Trixie smiled brightly as he spotted Katya making her way towards him. She was beautiful as always, but tonight it was like she was glowing, a sight for sore eyes after Trixie had spent three days looking at angry, moody models who never smiled.

The two kissed, and Trixie held out a glass for Katya. “It’s apple juice, Violet had it imported, so it would be the exact same shade as the champagne.” Katya smiled, thankful for the fact that she wouldn’t have to explain herself all night.

“She thinks of everything, doesn’t she?”

“It’s almost freaky.”

Katya giggled and took a small sip of her drink, before flagging down a waiter who was carrying around a tray of mini hamburger sliders.

“So how has your day been?” Trixie had found a bench for them to sit at, so he was now tucked into Katya’s side, occasionally getting a bite or two from the food Katya had collected along with sips of her drink which Trixie liked a lot more than the champagne he had gotten himself.

“Pretty good. One of the kids offered me a cigarette from his locker stash, and said he had more if I agreed to go on a date with him behind the bike shed. Unfortunately he was seven, so I had to confiscate everything; imagine the great romance I killed.” Katya laughed and gave Trixie one of the salmon hors d'oeuvres from her plate.

“Yekaterina Petrovna Zamolodchikova, destroyer of hearts.”

***  
  
“And then he gave me roses, Adore, me! He gave them to me, not anyone else!”

Adore could barely focus on Courtney’s words as the other girl was talking a mile a minute; she knew her best friend was ecstatic, and sure she was happy for her, but all Adore could think about was that cigarette break she had had with Pearl earlier that day.

“And then he asked if he could come to this party, but I had to say no because I didn’t have an extra invite and can you imagine how embarrassing it would be if I couldn’t get him in so I just said he couldn’t come but oh my go-”

Adore then spotted Pearl who had just entered the room, with a tall blonde with a pastel fur coat who was hanging off Pearl’s arm, and Adore immediately shoved three hamburger sliders into her mouth.

“Wait a second… I thought Violet was with Pearl?”

***

Sutan had looked Violet up and down once, before he grabbed her arm and dragged her off into the nearest supply closet, despite her protests that the party had only just started, but as soon as Sutan closed and locked the door behind them, Violet’s lips where on his instantly.

They were passionately kissing as they tore on each other’s clothes, Violet’s lipstick getting smeared over both their mouths.

“Fuck, you look so good in those leather pants lovely eyes, makes me want to fuck you so hard, that pert little ass and the sway of your hips, I just want to ravish you.”

“Don’t touch my hair!” Sutan laughed at Violet’s comment, teasingly reaching up trying to pull at one of Violet’s curls, but she grabbed his arm. “Don’t, touch, my, fucking, hair.”

“What are you going to do about it?” Sutan smiled teasingly, so Violet kissed him even harder.

“Shut, up.”

“What if I won’t?”

“Then I’ll make you.” Violet fell to her knees, her fingers quickly working on Sutan’s belt.

“Oh God…” Sutan closed his eyes and leaned back against the wall. Violet had never offered, never even suggested that she wanted to try oral sex, so Sutan hadn’t pushed, but now she was on her knees right in front of him, her clever hands zipping down his fly.

“Fuck, princess, please …”

“Please what, Sutan?”

“Touch me.”

Violet pulled Sutan’s pants and underwear down, a smile on her lips which have once been red, as she leaned forward, her face hovering between his legs. Sutan’s breathing grew ragged, but Violet only grinned and kissed his hip gently. Coarse hairs tickled her nose, but she didn’t mind. Rather, she pressed her face closer to inhale his scent. The familiar smell of him and the feel of his warm skin made her grow more confident. Sutan’s smell was musky, almost pungent, and highly addictive. It made her moan quietly in anticipation. She wanted to do it for him, with him and she wanted Sutan, now.

She shifted a little on the floor to gain some friction between her legs, in that moment realizing that even the tops of her inner thighs were coated with wetness.

Violet wrapped her hand around Sutan’s cock, the shaft a heavy comforting weight in her hand. Sutan groaned while Violet carefully dragged the tip of her tongue over from the bottom to the head and into the slit, for the first time tasting the precum that was gathering there. It was surprisingly sweet.

“Violet…” Sutan gasped, his jaws slack, his chest heaving, his cock flushed a dark red.

Sutan’s voice, his desperation, made pleasure pool in Violet’s belly. She wanted to do this, and she wanted it now. Violet licked her lips, angled Sutan with her free hand, opened her mouth and eased onto him. Sutan was huge, and she struggled to take much more than the head into her mouth. She looked up, glad to see that Sutan was watching her, was watching how her lips were stretched around him. Violet smiled before she turned her attention back to the task at hand - she gave a few unsure bobs of the head, gripping him even tighter with her free hand and swirling her tongue on what she could reach.

A loud moan from Sutan, before he bit his fist to quiet himself, reassured her that at least Sutan was satisfied, and she continued with enthusiasm.

Violet alternated her movements with flicks of her wrists and hollowing out her cheeks trying to do all the things she had read about online. Violet could feel the tension in Sutan’s body, could feel how much he wanted to move and to take her, but he kept his hands to himself, clenched into two tight fists, one in his mouth and the other by his side.

He was doing so well, was being so considerate that Violet wanted to do better, to be better. She tried to suck harder and deeper, making Sutan groan even louder, his hips slowly starting to pump as Violet guided him with her hand on his hip, until on one downstroke, she miscalculated the angle, her teeth accidentally hurting Sutan, making him jerk forward, the head of his cock hitting the back of Violet’s throat.

Violet could feel the tears gathering in her eyes as she coughed and gasped, “Sorry.” She could feel her cheeks burning, she had to be dark red, she had never felt so humiliated. For all her bravado, no matter how much she had tried to hide it, now Sutan would know that she didn’t even have half of the experience she knew Sutan had to have had.

“Fuck, baby, are you okay?’ Sutan sounded concerned, thankfully without a trace of anger, which only made Violet feel worse. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to-”

“No, no, it was my fault.” Violet tried to quickly wipe away her tears, hoping that Sutan hadn’t seen it, looking up and meeting his eyes. Sutan’s eyes were wide, a concerned expression on his face, his hand gently finding Violet’s cheek, his thumb slowly stroking it, his features turning even softer. Violet felt shame wash over her; if Sutan had that reaction, she didn’t want to know how pathetic she looked.

“Don’t blame yourself.” Sutan smiled, even if his breathing was slightly uneven. “You were doing really well.”

Violet hid her face with her hair, her stupid hair that had started all of this, and mumbled “Thank you”. She knew she had to do something to distract herself and Sutan from her embarrassment, anything to put an end to the awkwardness. She reached for Sutan’s thankfully still hard cock with both her hands and started stroking again.

“Talk to me, please.”

She could hear the smile in Sutan’s voice.

“There’s nothing I’d love more, lovely eyes.”

***

“These drinks are horrible, where is the actual alcohol?”

“I think you’re holding it in your hand.”

“Booo.”

Bible laughed at the sour expression on Pearl’s face. The two of them were standing together at the edge of the dance floor at the Galactica party, watching everyone. They had watched Alyssa and Laganja dance for a while, the two girls acting like they were in the 80s with their dance moves and with Alyssa’s ridiculous outfit.

“This party blows.” Pearl nodded to confirm Bible’s statement; the other girl had found her phone and was now checking twitter. “There’s an event on the Upper East, if we leave now I can get us a limo?”

“B-girl, you know I can’t, I have to stay here for at least another hour.”

“Fiiine.” Bible sighed, exasperated, grabbing another round of drinks from a nearby waiter as her eyes searched the room, looking for anything, anyone, to relieve her of her boredom. Everything was boring and uninteresting, until her eyes found a tiny curvy brunette who hadn’t looked away from Pearl all night.

Bible smiled wickedly, and elbowed Pearl in the side. “Look who is checking you out, 8 o’clock, chubby brunette.”

Pearl drained her drink before she glanced over her shoulder, a flirty smile on her face until she realized who she was looking at.

“Oh… That’s just Adore.”

“Adore Delano?” A plan was taking form in Bible’s head. She had heard of Adore Delano. Wannabe musician and little sister to the infamously diabolical Bianca Del Rio. All she needed was to trick Pearl into playing along.

“Know what, Pearlie, I think it’ll be good for you to fuck someone you actually know for once.”

“Shut up, I do know my girls.”

“I don’t think you can score with anyone who actually knows you.”

Bible smiled to herself as Pearl was so clearly walking right into her trap.

“Wanna bet?” Pearl leaned against the wall, looking around the room until her gaze fell on Adore again; the other girl perked up right away, Bible wearing an identical smile as soon as Pearl wasn’t looking.

“If I fuck Adore tonight, I win, and if I win, I want your earmuffs.”

“You don’t even like earmuffs.”

“I still want them.”

“Fine.”

Checkmate, bitch.

***  
  
The party was in full swing as the lights had been dimmed. Ivy had just seen Pearl and Adore leave through the balcony door, so she was keeping her distance. If Ivy was being honest with herself, she was quite the people watcher. She loved observing, loved collecting knowledge about others, not because she wanted to do anything with the information, but it was as much a part of her as the gap in her teeth. She had watched as Violet had disappeared with her loverboy and returned to the party in a different dress, had seen how Carmen and Raja had been staring at each other with clear disgust on their faces, had observed how soft and happy Fame looked in her husband’s arms as they had danced earlier.

Ivy took a sip of her champagne when she noticed someone staring at her. Ivy faintly recognized the other woman, but she couldn’t place her anywhere, which made her feel slightly uncomfortable as the other didn’t look away, their eyes meeting across the room.

Ivy smiled a little, deciding to take a chance on fate, and raised her hand to wave, and the other woman returning it with the brightest smile Ivy had ever seen.

***  
  
“Thanks for letting me bum a cigarette.”

“Don’t mention it.”

Adore smiled, secretly incredibly thrilled that Pearl had asked her to go to the balcony, the two standing side by side as they watched the cars move down on the ground.

“Look at that amazing star.”

Adore looked up at Pearl’s words, not seeing anything at all as she searched the night sky. “What are you talking abou-” Pearl was looking right at her, a cheeky smile on her lips.

“You know just who I’m talking about.”

Adore felt herself blush all over, letting herself dream just for a little while that Pearl Liaison herself was actually interested in her, as Pearl leaned forward, their lips meeting in a kiss.

***  
  
The way Adore’s breath hitched in her throat as Pearl leaned in to kiss her neck was adorable.

Adore was all creamy skin, puffy lips, heavy eyes and the softest body Pearl had felt in a while, no hip bones, no rips, only a tubby tummy and the biggest tits Pearl had played with since college.

Pearl pressed down on Adore’s clit, making the girl moan in pleasure, and dragged her thumb over it. Pearl started thrusting, almost falling off the bed in her drunken state, Adore’s hip desperately rocking back onto Pearl’s hand.

“You can’t come until I say so.”

“Please, oh God, please.”

“No.”

Pearl smiled and twisted her fingers, working even faster.

Adore was gasping now, her boobs heaving up and down, her hair fanned out over the pillow, and it made Pearl want to lick her all over.

“Hold on.” she whispered into Adore’s neck, “Just a bit longer. Just a bit longer and then I’ll say you can come and everything will be awesome. You’re totally gonna love it.”

Pearl laughed as Adore whined; she loved the power she had when a girl was breaking apart in her hand, even if her arm was cramping and her jaw ached from the two orgasms she had already wrung out of Adore. Pearl might have been a bitch, but she never left a girl unsatisfied.

Adore was not going to last much longer. She was tense and rolling her hips to meet every thrust of Pearl’s hand. Adore was panting, desperate, eyes unfocused, and Pearl decided to have mercy on her.

“Let go.”

Pearl twisted her fingers once, pulled out, and thrusted back in, bottoming out, pressing her thumb down on Adore’s clit at the same time.

Adore groaned and came, slumping against her. Normally Pearl would leave right after fucking a girl, but in her drunken state she couldn’t get herself to move, even more when Adore crawled into her arms, the brunette’s dark hair tickling her nose as she fell asleep.

***

Fame bit her lip; it was cold and her feet ached, but at least Patrick was with her. The party was done and everything had gone well.

Yet another taxi passed by them and Fame swore loudly. Her Louboutin was already off, ready to get thrown after the yellow car, when Patrick wrapped his arm around her.

“Hey, hey baby, calm down.” Patrick laughed and took the shoe from her. “We’ll get the next one.”

Fame blushed, holding onto Patrick so her stocking wouldn’t get soiled on the pavement.

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”

***

“So what time should I come over to collect my new earmuffs? I’m sure they’ll look great covered in this new industrial strength glitter my roomie Katya just brought.”

Pearl smiled smugly at Bible, the two girls sitting together at a roadside cafe, two big brunch plates and bloody marys on their table.

“I think you’re forgetting one, little, thing.”

Pearl gulped at Bible’s expression, the other humming while she cut out her piece of toast.

“What? What am I forgetting?”

“Where is my proof, Pearlie Girl?”

“You saw me leave with her?”

“Yes, but where is my proof?”

Pearl groaned, knowing that Bible was right.

“I’ll get you your stupid proof, okay? Trust my words, Bathsheba, trust my words.”

***

“Do you have your neck pillow, baby?”

“Yes mom. I also have my earplugs, my extra blanket and my snack pack.”

Trixie smiled at Katya who was standing in front of him, her hands twisted into the fabric of her dress. There was a sea of people moving around them, there were grandparents who were yelling and children who were crying, while the rest of the Galactica staff leaving to Europe was standing in line to check in their luggage.

“Hey, hey, don’t look like that.” Trixie wrapped his arms around Katya. “It’s only three weeks, and then I’ll be home again. We’ve done it before, we can do it again, can’t we?”

Katya nodded, her fingers clinging to the front of Trixie’s shirt as her tears wet the fabric, her shoulders shaking with the sound of her sobs.

“I’ll call you every single day, okay?”

“Okay…”  
  
***

Courtney noticed Willam as soon as she entered the park they were supposed to meet at. He was sitting on a bench with his sunglasses on, his fair hair lit up by the setting sun. Courtney’s stomach made a flip at the sight of him, which surprised her.

Willam wasn’t really Courtney’s type.

He was too short, too thin and not muscular enough, but he was also way smarter than her, which made her feel insecure. At the same time, there was something so entrancing about him, be it his ‘I don’t give a fuck’ attitude, his sharp tongue or the fact that he was very, very good in bed, as she had found out a week ago.

Courtney still felt redness claiming her cheeks whenever she remembered the way Willam had pushed her against the door of her building and went in for a kiss without asking her permission. His hands had been all over her back, neck and her hair, making her want to cling to him, hard, which she had done.

“So, goodnight?” he said, the question mark evident in his voice, while tucking a stray strand of Courtney’s hair behind her ear.

“Do you wanna come upstairs?” she asked, breathless, and saw a grin breaking out on Willam’s face. How could she resist him that night? He had called her the most beautiful girl at the Fashion Week show and he had brought her the prettiest flowers.

“After you.”

Their date in the park was actually their first official date. Courtney had called Adore for help with wardrobe choices, but Adore seemed distant, wrapped up in her own thoughts. Still, Courtney was pretty sure she had done okay by herself, feeling lovely in the dress she picked.

She waved at Willam and he waved back, taking off his sunglasses and quickly making his way to her.

“Hi, sunshine”, he greeted her. Courtney was sure he was going to kiss her on the cheek, but Willam laid one right on her lips, and she found herself not minding at all. “I don’t even have words to tell you how stunning you look today, and I write for a living.”

“Oh, stop it, you’re making me blush!”

“So what? Maybe I like seeing you blush.”

For a while they were just walking around the park, hand in hand, talking about nothing in particular. Mostly it was Courtney doing the talking while Willam listened, seeming genuinely interested in what she had to say. That was new to Courtney when it came to boys; new and wonderful.

At one point, Willam pulled two tickets out of his pocket. “Do you maybe wanna go see this band with me? The venue is like a 15-minute walk from here. It could be fun?”

Courtney’s eyes lit up immediately. “Vampire Weekend? Oh my God, I love them! I wanted to buy tickets myself a while ago, but it was already sold out! How did you – Willam, how did you get these?!”

“One of their techs is my friend. We can join them for the afterparty if you want, too.”

“If I want?! Of course I do, let’s go! Let’s go right now!” Courtney started dragging Willam by the hand, but he just laughed.

“Easy, babe. We’ve still got plenty of time.”

While walking, Willam wrapped his arm around Courtney’s waist, and they’ve settled into a comfortable conversation.

“So, what sports do you like?”, Courtney asked.

“Umm, well – ”

“Wait, wait, let me guess! I think you used to play football.”

“No.”

“What about lacrosse?”

“Not really.”

“Swimming?”

“No.”

“Oh…” Courtney felt slightly disappointed. So she was dating a guy who wasn’t into sports? That would be a first.

“Look, Court, I’m more of a guy who likes to do some squats alone at home, or hit the gym for a little elliptical. If I don’t satisfy your standards then I’m sorry.”

“Oh, no, no, stop it!” She rushed to kiss Willam’s cheek to ensure him that it’s okay. “I was just asking. Sorry I brought it up in the first place.”

There were more important things to Willam than the fact that he wasn’t exactly how she imagined her perfect man, but maybe that was okay too. At this very moment with him, she was feeling absolutely content.

***  
  
Contrary to popular belief, Ivy wasn’t sad about the fact that she wasn’t going to Europe. Honestly, Ivy loved that she didn’t have to go to the overseas Fashion Weeks. The peace and quiet of the office felt like a soothing balm on her frayed nerves. Working at a fashion house was never calm, so the six weeks of silence a year was Ivy’s favorite time.

It gave her an opportunity to clean out the in-house Galactica wardrobe. The wardrobe, or warehouse as they called in in everyday terms, was like the Bermuda Triangle. Things arrived at Galactica, and then they disappeared into the wardrobe, never to be seen again.

Ivy was alone in her office, having forced all of the employees that worked below her and Raja to go home so she would have peace and quiet for the week.

The three weeks of European Fashion Week were truly the greatest; every single fashion editor was gone, which meant that you could wear whatever you wanted to the office. Ivy was personally dressed in something she would never get caught dead in with Raja in the office, but sneakers and jeans were perfect for dancing along to Taylor Swift and moving heavy boxes as she got down to the nitty gritty of cleaning the warehouse.

***

Violet was snapping snow peas in half for Smeags’s dinner. She had just finished an email to Sutan and had spent an embarrassingly long amount of time trying to figure out how to end it. She missed him; actually she missed him a lot, but it felt almost wrong writing it, so she hadn’t. She knew guys didn’t like girls who came off needy, and Violet really cared about Sutan. She was silently counting down the days until they would finally see each other again in Paris; the fact that it had only been four days since they had last seen each other felt unimportant.

Violet picked up the tiny plate of assorted greens, and made her way to Max’s room. She had promised to take care of the little creature while Max was away in London, along with Pearl and Trixie.

“Here you go, Smeagie, delicious green peas just for-” Violet stopped opening the door of Smeags’s cage when she thought she had heard a sound.

“Did you hear that?”

Violet looked down at the small lizard, before she laughed at the fact that she was talking to Max’s pet. “Of course not, you’re just an anima-” Violet heard the sound again, and this time, she realized that it was someone crying in the room next to Max’s.

“Katya, sweetheart, are you in there?”

Violet knocked on the door to Katya’s and Trixie’s room, waiting for a reply. She could still hear the faint sound of sobs, so when there wasn’t a reply, she pushed the door open and stepped inside, the sight that met her making her heart ache.

Katya was laying on the bed, her face buried in her pillow as she was crying. Violet knew that Katya was missing Trixie, but she had no idea that the blonde was this utterly destroyed about the fact that Trixie was gone.

“Hey, hey honey, are you okay?” Violet sat down on the bed, her hand gently running down the other girl’s back.

“I couldn’t get it open…”

“What are you talking about?” Violet was slowly petting Katya’s back, only briefly noticing that Katya’s nails were bloody, and she felt her stomach drop.

“It just, it hurts so much, ViVi, it hurts and I just want it to go away, just for a little while.”

Violet was just about to tell Katya to stop calling her ViVi, when she controlled herself. Her friend obviously needed her much more than the stupid nickname annoyed her.

“You’re going to be okay, I promise, okay? You’re going to get through it.”

Violet laid down on the bed and wrapped her arms around Katya.

“I just miss him so much… It’s like I can’t breathe when he’s not here.”

“Shh darling, ssh, I know, I know.”

Pearl had told her when she moved in that there was a reason for a padlock on their liquor cabinet, but seeing Katya here, like she was right now, tears running down her face as sobs racked her body was heartbreaking. Nothing was worth that, and in that moment Violet decided to throw the entire liquor cabinet out the very next morning, the others’ anger be damned if it could help Katya even a little bit.

“Listen, what if I get your laptop, we can watch whatever movie you want and eat Chinese?”

Katya looked up, her mascara smeared all over her face.

“Would you eat Chinese, for me?”

“There’s nothing I’d rather do then eat Chinese food with you, right now, right here.”

Katya smiled, her voice small as she cuddled into Violet’s side, her arms wrapping themselves around Violet’s waist. “Thank you.”

***

Max opened the door to the room he was sharing with Fame while they were in London, a yawn escaping him. Normally he would have protested sharing a room with anyone, especially since they were in London which was his hometown, his parents living only 20 minutes away, but Fame had looked at him and gently asked if he would please share a room with her, so who was he to say no.

“Honey, I’m home.” Max smiled at his own joke as he kicked off his shoes and put down his bag on the table.

“I’m in the bathroom!”

Max smiled and went over to the door to the bathroom, peaking in. Fame was standing in front of the mirror, wrapped in a big fluffy bathrobe as she was removing her makeup.

“Patrick called, and he told me to say hi by the way.” Fame looked at Max, her makeup all off. If Max had had his camera he would have snapped a picture of Fame right in that moment as she looked at him, not a single trace of the boss who put fear into the heart of hundreds, but instead only the beautiful woman who took such good care of him and of his best friends.

“Really? Tell him I said hi back, he’s such a nice man.”

“He is.”

***

“Hey Rajie? Can I ask you a question?”

Sutan and Raja were sitting at a little roadside cafe in London, both of them people-watching as they drank their coffees and waited for their brunch to show up.

“What’s up, TanTan?” Raja looked up from her phone. She had just received a text from Fame about a pair of shoes that the other woman was considering buying and wanted her opinion on them. “Is it a work related thing like ‘Oh no, a model is held up in customs!’ Or is it something else?”

“Know what, never mind. Did you order the full English or just porridge?”

“Nu-uh! You can’t just say you have a secret and not share it. I know you, Sutan Amrull! You can’t keep a secret from me for longer than a month; and that was because I was away, and we were too broke to afford a calling card to Indonesia.“

“But that was in 1996, Rajie, and we were like 20…”

“Exactly, you can’t hide from me, so shit it out!”

Sutan sank down into his seat and took a deep breath before he switched to Indonesian.

[I think I fucked up…]

[Fuck up what?]

[Fucked up with Violet.]

[Oh God, what happened? You two looked so happy at the afterparty, Violet even smiled]” Raja smirked, looking at her brother. [That is, before you both disappeared, you naughty boy.]

Sutan laughed at her words, knowing that he was guilty as charged. He did have quite a thing for exhibitionism, and thankfully it seemed like Violet did as well, which brought him right back to the problem at hand.

[You’re so lame, TanTan, but come on, tell your darling big sister about your problems. It has to be big, because your hair’s an absolute mess.]

[I think Violet was a virgin.] Sutan could hear Raja choke on her coffee, but he couldn’t stop himself from letting the word vomit come out. [I didn’t think about it the first time we had sex, but she was really, really shy and I think I fucked up really bad. I just… I really need your advice. You know me better than I know myself.] Sutan crossed his arms and silently thanked the gods for the fact that he and Raja shared a language that made it possible for them to share secrets in public. [You know I can be impulsive, and that I sometimes become a little… intense, when I want something.]

[That’s the understatement of the year.]

[Shut up.]

Raja smiled to Sutan, giving him a gentle nudge on the arm.

[With Violet… Sometimes she’s so confident, and other times she’s… Sometimes when we’re together, like at the party, she was so…fuck, I don’t know, unsure.] Sutan sighed before he ran his long tattooed fingers, much like his sisters, through his graying hair. [She has this air of mystery around her and I think… I think I really hurt her, Rajie.]

Raja smiled; she had never seen Sutan this worried about anything involving a girl.

[Well, Violet is a little weird. She’s insanely efficient, it’s almost like she can read your mind.] Raja moved the things on their table around so the waiter who just arrived with their food could put it down.

[God, I hope not.] Sutan mumbled into his coffee.

[Amen to that, the world is not ready for mindreaders.] Raja laughed a little as she poured herself a new cup of coffee. [But in all seriousness, maybe she is just naturally guarded. We all are to a degree, TanTan.]

[I know, Rajie, I know, but it feels like it’s more than just being guarded… I can’t really put my finger on it.]

[You have been together for less than two months, how well do you really know the girl? And she’s only 23.]

[Don’t remind me.]

Raja laughed.

[We’re only 41, we are in our second best age, we have all the time in the world.]

[Whatever.] Sutan smiled and rolled his eyes. [But you do have a point… Maybe I should just… ask her.] Sutan shuddered a little at the thought of being so emotionally vulnerable.

Raja laughed at Sutan’s shudder.

[I know sweetie, I know that it sucks, but you have to talk to her, open communication and all. Talk to her when she comes to Paris, and tell her that you’re concerned about her boundaries.]

Raja took her brother’s tattooed hand in hers to give his knuckles a soft kiss. [Not that you should ignore her until then. You should call her or FaceTime her, she’ll like that.]

[Thanks, Rajie.] Sutan smiled and flipped his twin’s hand over, placing his own kiss on the underside of her wrist.

“Soooo…is Raven still annoyed over the shoes you’re wearing?”

“Yeah, she didn’t even respond to my good morning text, even though I can see that she got and read it.” Raja shrugged and leaned back into her chair, grabbing a piece of toast from her plate.

“I swear, the women in our lives are weird.”

“Women themselves are weird as hell.”

“Cheers to that”, said Sutan as he raised his glass, the two falling into easy silence as they enjoyed each other’s company over brunch.

***

Courtney walked into the office, being a lot more violent than strictly necessary as she slammed the door behind her. Violet didn’t look up from her desk at all until Courtney placed Violet’s morning cup of coffee on her desk.

“Good morning Courtney.”

“Good morning Courtney,” huffed Courtney back, a sneer in her voice as she imitated Violet, an annoyed look on her face. She had worn one of her very best outfits to work that day, and not a single one of the suits in the lobby had looked at her, whistled or even acknowledged her presence like they used to.

“Well, someone is in a great mood this morning.”

“Someone is in a great mood this morning.”

Courtney knew that she was being childish as she was repeating Violet’s words back to her, but she didn’t care. Unfortunately she didn’t get any reaction beyond a raised eyebrow from her coworker. Courtney sat down and grabbed her coffee, angrily drinking from the cardboard cup. She didn’t understand why she hadn’t gotten any attention that morning; she had smiled and then ignored the men like she always did, but today she had gotten nothing from them, no wolf-whistles, no nothing and Courtney needed that external validation, dammit.

Then, a horrible thought hit her. Courtney looked down at herself and grabbed her stomach, pulling at the single handful of flesh she could grab before she jiggled her arms. That had to be it. Courtney hadn’t even noticed that Violet had gone to the printer while she took another sip. Courtney was getting a relationship gut, it had happened to her before and now it was apparently happening to her again. Damn Willam and the delicious meals he always made her.

“Violet?”

“Yes, Courtney?”

Courtney looked up, ready to ask Violet what she thought of the entire thing, when she noticed that Violet was wearing… yoga pants? The other was standing at the printer wearing a striped sweater that seemed vaguely familiar, black yoga pants and… sneakers? The pants showing off her long muscular legs and her shaped ass, the sneakers promising that nothing that was on display only a lie.

What was going on? Then Courtney remembered what she had seen several of her coworkers wear in the last week and Violet’s comment about how everyone was more casual whenever the editors weren’t in. Apparently a lot more casual; was this why she had been ignored? Because she didn’t have the body of a starved 90s model like everyone else at work had? She had assets too, she was cute and bubbly and frankly adorable. Courtney knew with absolute certainty that every guy on the football team at her college would have chosen her and her real womanly body over the freaky daddy long legs creature who was standing at the copy machine. Courtney crossed her arms, even more upset, not caring that she was being unfair.

“Violet, do I look okay today?”

Courtney smiled innocently, and Violet turned around, looking at her. Courtney felt herself squirm under Violet’s scrutinizing gaze.

“Mah.” Violet shrugged her shoulders and went back to her task, and Courtney could feel white hot rage collect in her belly. How dare she! Who did she think she was? Didn’t she know about the girl code? Didn’t she know about the ancient rules of feminism which dictated that a fellow female should always compliment her sisters in a time of need? Courtney crossed her arms again and blew Violet a raspberry before she sunk down into her chair.

“Look, Courtney, don’t think I haven’t noticed your attitude just because I’m not looking at you.”

Shit.

“I don’t care about your body image, believe me, I really don’t, but if you don’t like what you see in the mirror, which is the only thing that matters, you’re more than welcome to join Alaska and I at our water aerobics class today; okay?”

Courtney took another sip of her coffee, still angry, but what Violet was saying did make a lot of sense. Wasn’t she the only one who should decide how she felt about her body? She looked good, she felt good, she was Courtney fucking Act, pink-haired goddess extraordinaire.

“I’ll think about it.”

“Good, now pack up your attitude and get to work.”


	8. Chapter 8

Adore was lying on Courtney’s bed, her feet on the wall as she played air guitar along to the sweet tunes of David Bowie.

“Why hasn’t she called me back, Court?”

“Well, maybe it’s because she’s in London?” Courtney sighed. Adore had been complaining for the last week that Pearl had been ignoring her, not listening every time Courtney tried to explain to her that Pearl was a pathological liar.

“So what? If she cared she would call. Bianca calls me whenever she goes abroad, even when she goes somewhere stupid like Japan, or like… Siberia or something.”

“I’m pretty sure your sister has never been to Siberia.”

Courtney was sitting on the floor, cutting up a bunch of old magazines from work that Alyssa has given her. Courtney was officially over halfway done with her training period at work, and she was there making a new collage for her dream board. Courtney still couldn’t quite believe it. She had been to her first Fashion Week ever, only 4 months out of college, she had an awesome boyfriend and amazing pink hair that made her look like a million dollars.

“You don’t know her.”

“No I don’t, because I’ve never met her.”

“That’s not true, you saw the back of her head on - Oh my God!” Adore sat up on the bed. “Know what, you should totally come to her 40th birthday!” Adore smiled brightly, clearly in love with the idea. “It’s not like anyone cool is going to be there anyway, it’s going to be super lame and like… at the Met or something, someone dumb is doing a dress for her, Oscar something, I didn’t really listen. You should totally be my date, it’ll be bitching!”

“Really? You want me to come with you?” Courtney smiled, but then she realized that Adore might have an ulterior motive. “Is it because there is no chance Pearl will go with you?”

“Shut up, you don’t know her like I do, we had sex and it was magical, she called me baby and as soon as she gets back from Europe we’re going to be happy until death makes it forever when we get buried together.”

“I’m pretty sure it’s apart.”

“Nu uh, death is totally on love’s side.”

***

Violet took a deep breath.

Sutan had finally gotten his overseas phone plan to work yesterday, and they had been texting nonstop, even when she was at work, since Raja had given Violet’s work phone number. Honestly it was kind of fun getting updates from across the Atlantic; seeing London Fashion Week through the lens of Sutan’s phone was a lot more interesting than reading the usual blog updates that praised anything and anyone who gave them free access to things.

She had woken up that morning to several pictures from Sutan, but also Raja and Raven, from a party they had all been to, and Violet had felt it like a punch to the stomach when she had seen Sutan in the background, his arm around several different girls; girls Violet knew were models, girls who were with him right now while she was stuck in New York at work.

Violet took another deep breath, and turned the camera on her phone on again. There was only one thing to do, and that was to remind him what he was missing. Violet had tried for the last 20 minutes to get a good photo of herself, but the art of taking sexting to the next level was apparently beyond her. The light was too sharp, the angels all wrong and who had decided that bathroom mirrors were sexy anyway?

Violet was just about to start her third try, when the door to the bathroom slammed open and Katya walked in.

“Shit!”

“Fuck!” Violet grabbed her bathrobe and tied it around herself, her face burning.

“Oh my God, I’m so sorry, ViVi!”

Violet had covered her face with her hands, not sure if she should laugh or cry, so instead she chose to focus on the only thing that was even slightly normal in the situation: what Katya had just called her.

“Why does everyone insist on calling me ViVi?”

Violet could hear Katya giggle, “Because you’re cute when you blush,” before she felt the other’s arms wrap around her. “Sooo… Whatcha doing?”

“Nothing.”

“Are you taking pictures for your boyfriend?” Katya’s tone was teasing.

“He’s not my boyfrie- what? Wait a second, how do you know that?” Violet looked up, alarm on her face.

“Trixie tells me everything.”

“Everything?”

“Everything.”

“Well, shit.”

Violet bit her lip and looked down at the phone in her hand, Katya’s arms still wrapped around her.

“I just don’t want him to forget me while he’s away…”

“How could he forget you?”

Katya kissed Violet’s cheek, giving the other girl a squish.

She had sneaked out of her room the night before, armed with a tub of butter and hairpins, ready to pick the lock even as she hated herself every moment of the way. She would have broken the glass in the antique furniture if it wasn’t for the fact that she knew Pearl had it specially reconstructed with reinforced glass that not even a bullet could break, but the entire cabinet was gone, not a single trace left of it in the apartment, and she knew instantly that it had to be Violet’s work.

“What if he meets someone there who’s better than me? London is filled with models.”

“He can’t meet someone who’s better than you, because you’re the only you in the world.”

Violet sighed, even a small smile played at the corner of her mouth.

“Know what, ViVi, let me help you, my phone has a pretty good camera!”

“… Are you seriously suggesting you’d help me take sexy pictures of myself?”

“Even better, I’ll help you take saucy pictures.”

Katya was smiling, and Violet couldn’t believe she was agreeing to it.

“Fine, but it’ll be on my, and only my phone!”

***

“Guess who just got an extra round of shots because the bartender thought he had a chance? Me! Take that suckaaar! 1 - 0 for the lesbian.”

Pearl laughed as she dumped down next to Trixie, handing her friend a beer as she balanced her tray of free shots in her other hand.

“The British are my favorite people in the entire world! If you have straight teeth, you can get whatever you want. I love this backward country.”

Trixie looked at Pearl before he sighed and accepted the beer, his phone in his hand. He had been trying to call Katya all day, but no matter what he did, he couldn’t get ahold of her beyond a few quick texts. He was just about to dial her number again when he felt a poke in his stomach.

“Ouch! Pearl, what the fuck?”

“Stop looking so sad! It’s contagious and you’re not allowed to be sad during Fashion Week, so how about you turn that sad frown upside down, we dunk these and I see if I can score us some free hotdogs on the way home!”

Pearl smiled, her entire face lit up as her eyebrows wiggled, her good mood making Trixie feel a little better.

“I don’t think they have hotdogs in London, Pearlie Girl.”

“Well, then I’ll get us some free fish and chips and some mushy peas! Now put that phone away and take a shot with me like a man!”

Pearl was just about to grab the phone from Trixie’s hand, but he stopped her, a serious expression on his face.

“Katya hasn’t responded to any of my calls.”

“Well, if you’re so worried, just ask Violet? She’s such a control freak she probably has a written record of Katya’s last three meals and her sleep schedule.” Pearl leaned back in her chair, taking a long swig from her beer, people all around them moving back and forth, coming and going, but to Pearl they didn’t matter. All that mattered was that Trixie wasn’t going to party with her, and that wasn’t fair.

“Why are you always so mean to her, Pearlie?”

“I’m not mean, I’m perfectly reasonable.”

“If you say so.” Trixie sighed and crossed his arms, finally taking his first swig of the beer Pearl had gotten for him.

“Katya and I have never gone this long without talking. I haven’t heard from her in almost 24 hours.”

“Bro, let it go. Katya is probably fine; you worry too much.”

“Tell that to my stomach.”

Pearl leaned over, a mischievous smile on her face before she placed both hands on Trixie’s tummy, talking to it as if he was a pregnant woman as she manipulated her voice into a high, baby voice.

“Hey sweetie, I know you’re confused right now, but don’t worry, you don’t have to worry about your mommy one bit, Auntie Pearl is right here ready to take care of you, and I know exactly what you need, which, is, shoooooots!”

Pearl sat up again, laughing hard when she saw the unhappy scowl on Trixie’s face.

“You’re the worst, Pearl, you know that, right?”

“The absolute worst.”

***  
  
Violet giggled as she read the newest text from Sutan, her cheeks slightly blushing as he had send along a picture of himself in bed, his hair perfectly mussed, and Violet wanted nothing more than to play with the strands. She was just about to text him back, when she heard a knock on her door and Katya peeked inside.

“Hey…”

“Hey!” Violet smiled and looked over at Katya. “Are you okay?”

“Mmh.” Katya pushed a little of her hair behind her ear, and Violet could see she was lying.

“Or, no, no, not really… Can I sleep in here? Please?”

“Of course you can, honey.” Violet pulled back her covers and moved around as Katya slipped in beside her, easily finding her place in bed as the little spoon, cuddled into Violet’s arms before Violet could have any kind of thoughts about whether or not this was weird.

Katya released a sigh, and Violet could practically feel the tension leave the smaller woman’s body, her breathing already evening out.

“I haven’t… I haven’t told Trixie about, about, what I did.” Katya’s voice was so small that Violet barely heard it, but she did and she placed a gentle kiss on Katya’s temple, the other’s hair tickling her nose.

“I know.”

Katya turned around, now face to face with Violet.

“You know?”

Violet nodded, Katya’s whisper and the intimacy between them almost making it impossible to speak.

“He texted me and asked me how you were doing.” Violet was slowly, carefully petting Katya’s back as if she was speaking to a frightened animal, the fabric of the other’s pyjamas soft underneath her hand. “I told him you were okay, that you missed him, and that you would call soon.”

Katya was quiet for a while, until she nodded. “Tomorrow. I’ll call him tomorrow.”

“Do you want me to be with you?”

Katya shook her head. “I have to do this alone.”

“You don’t have to do anything alone if you don’t want to, you have me, okay?”

Katya smiled, a small, vulnerable but oh-so-genuinely happy smile as she closed the space between her and Violet, and gave the other a soft, close-mouthed kiss. “I love you, ViVi.”

“Shut up.”

Violet smiled, and pushed Katya down a little, letting the other snuggle into her neck, their legs intertwined, the two girls’ breaths slowing as they slowly drifted off, Katya feeling safe as the darkness of sleep took her for the first time since Trixie had left.

***

“Hey Jinkx?”

“Mmh?”

Alaska smiled at the redhead in front of her. Alaska and Jinkx were in Alaska’s office, the remains of their lunch in a trashcan, two cups of tea on her desk as the two friends sat in Alaska’s plush chairs, the computer playing one of Lily Allen’s first albums.

“Why did the blonde put lipstick on her forehead?”

“Why?” Jinkx cracked an eye open. Alaska was slowly working on filling in the other woman’s eyebrows. Jinkx had texted Alaska that morning, asking her friend if she would help her with her makeup for a theater reception she was going to later that day.

“She was trying to make, up, her mind.”

“Oh my God!”

Alaska wheezed as tears gathered in her eyes at the look of absolute outrage on Jinkx’s face. Jinkx anger was always the funniest thing and a true testament to her skills as a pun master, which was why Alaska continued to tease her red haired friend.

Alaska picked up her brushes again and went in on Jinkx’s eye, slowly covering her lids with shades of gold. In Alaska’s eyes, Jinkx was beautiful: she loved the small gap in Jinkx’s front teeth, loved the way Jinkx would grunt if something was really funny, loved the cute little cleft in Jinkx’s chin that she knew the other woman was incredibly self-conscious about.

Alaska ran a hand down Jinkx’s face, gently caressing the other’s cheek, enjoying how doing the other’s makeup gave her an excuse to touch her. The eyes had been finished for a while when Alaska finally drew back.

“And that’s how you do a smokey eye!”

Alaska laughed as Jinkx opened her eyes and looked in the mirror she was holding up, Jinkx’s face breaking into a bright smile.

“I look amazing! You’re a genius, Lasky.”

“Don’t mention it!”

“No, do mention it.” Jinkx grabbed Alaska’s hand which made a jolt go through the blonde’s body, Jinkx looking Alaska straight in the eyes.

“You’re a true artist, a great artist.”

Alaska was just about to open her mouth, just about to say what was on her mind, when the door to her office opened, Jinkx released her hand and Alaska felt her heart drop.

“Hey Alaska, are you in here? Kim didn’t know if you were back from your lunch.” Ivy peeked in through the door, a big stack of boxes in her hand.

“Oh!” Ivy looked back and forth between the two women, an apologetic smile on her face as soon as she realized she had walked in on something. “I’m sorry, sorry! I didn’t mean to interrupt anything, know what, I’ll just come back later, pretend I was never here, okay?” Ivy flashed one last bright smile before she closed the door behind her.

“Jinkx… There’s something I have to… Jinkx, are you listening to me?”

Jinkx was still looking at the door where Ivy had just left, her face flushed as she was practically staring.

“That… That was her, that was her, the girl I’ve been telling you about, that was the angel from the party who waved at me!”

Alaska felt her stomach drop all the way to the floor. Fuck.

***  
  
Rhea was smoking outside when Willam joined her, pulling his denim jacket tighter around his arms.

“‘Sup, Will? You wanna smoke?”

“Thanks, but no thanks.”

Willam knew, he just knew Rhea had information for him, she just wouldn’t say because, in her own twisted way, she cared about him. She only went out for a smoke to procrastinate having to actually tell him.

Without looking at Willam, she finally sighed. “I talked to the boss.”

“And?”

“You’ve got two more weeks. Sorry, Willam. I tried. But it’s two weeks and the operation is dead.”

Willam reached for Rhea’s half-smoked cigarette and took a deep drag after all. It’s not like he didn’t realize he was going to have to wrap it up, and soon.

“Alright. Two weeks is enough.”

“You don’t sound very… determined. You were so hot about this before, what’s happening?” Willam could nearly see concern on Rhea’s face.

“It’s nothing, really. It’s just – Courtney. The girl I’m working on.”

“The assistant?”

“Yeah. She’s – the fuck do I know, but she’s a good person, Rhea. Sweet and naive as hell, and I’m having such a good time with her. I was supposed to hate it, right? I don’t.”

Rhea’s eyes opened wide and her jaw fell a little, too. “What? You for real?”

“It’s just – it’s gonna be hard to fuck her over. I’ll probably ruin her career, and break her heart, too. Kinda sucks.”

“Willam, what the fuck. Are you in love with her?!”

“Goddammit, no, Jesus. You know I’m only in this for Bruce and Warner.” A car siren went off somewhere on the street and Willam had to speak up. “With Bruce losing his job, you know how hard it is for us to make it now? I need that promotion, okay?”

Willam looked at Rhea with such steel in his eyes that the girl seemed almost scared of her friend. “I know. I know.” She tried gently patting his arm, but he dodged.

“If I have to break the girl, then be it. I’m going to hell anyway, aren’t I? I just hope I get to take my husband somewhere nice for holiday, before, you know, I burn in the eternal flame.”

After they went back to their tiny shared office with crappy coffee and squeaky chairs, Rhea working on another piece about Emma Stone’s wardrobe choices, Willam sat down with a sheet of paper, a pencil, and a final plan forming in his head.

“Hey Rhea?”

“Yep?”

“You wanna get shitfaced with me tonight?”

“You don’t have to ask me twice, man.”

***

Trixie was in his hotel room, silently cursing Pearl as the blonde was nowhere in sight and Trixie really needed a bro since he couldn’t get out of his clothes, too drunk for his hands to work properly, even if he had fought his way out of his shirt.

Fashion Week was like an endless party, and he couldn’t remember the last time he hadn’t been at least mildly buzzed or had gotten more than six hours of sleep.

Trixie was battling with getting out of his shoes, his pants already around his ankles as he heard his phone ring and he jumped for it right away, falling onto the bed that he shared with Pearl, swiping right to pick up the call.

“Please be Katya, please be Katya, please be Katya!”

Trixie hadn’t realized he had said any of it out loud, until he heard Katya’s laugh on the other end of the phone, almost making him cry.

“Katya, oh God, it’s really you, I love you so much, please I want to grow old with you and get weird and wrinkly.”

“Are you drunk, baby?”

“Maybe a little.” Trixie looked down at himself: there were stains of pizza sauce on his stomach, and his pants were still around his legs, making it hard for him to move. “But none of that matters because now I’m talking to you! I missed you sooooooo much!”

“I missed you too, I’m sorry I haven’t called…”

“How are you? Are your students okay? How are you, how are you, how are you?”

Trixie was excitedly waiting for Katya’s reply, ready to hear all about how the most important person in his life was doing, but then there was nothing on the other end and Trixie had to check if his phone was actually on.

“Katya? Are you okay? Like… For reals?”

“I… I… I had a relapse.”

Trixie froze, his heart stopping at Katya’s words.

“I’m coming home right now.”

Trixie was already standing up, fighting with his pants, trying to get them on and then instead stepping out of them, grabbing his backpack, not caring that he was only wearing his underpants and his socks.

“No! Trix! Trix! Please wait.”

“No! I can’t wait! I have to come home!”

“Trixie, please, baby, I’m sorry, I’m still sober! I’m sorry for making you worry!”

Trixie stopped, listening to Katya’s words. “You’re okay?”

“I’m okay… I’m okay, Violet is taking care of me, I’m okay, you don’t have to come home, everything is fine.”

Trixie fell back into bed, the sudden burst of energy only making him more nauseous, the entire room spinning.

“Have you talked to your AA sponsor?”

“I haven’t been in so long… I… I don’t know if I can go…”

“Please do it, please..”

“I will, I promise, tomorrow.”

“Katya…”

“Yes baby?”

“Will you read me to sleep? I don’t feel so good…”

“Of course.”

***  
  
“Courtney?”

“Mmh.”

“Courtney.”

“Mmh?”

“Courtney! Look at me when I’m talking to you.”

Courtney looked up from her phone, an annoyed expression on her face as she had been just about to win her game of Angry Birds.

“What?”

Courtney couldn’t help but squeal a little from delight on the inside at the obvious attitude she got away with. Courtney loved this whole “no adults” at the office: she could eat what, when and where she wanted, she could wear what she wanted and no one had yelled at her since Violet had started to ignore her about a week ago. It was a little sad that Violet hadn’t said a single word to her that wasn’t related to work in one way or another since everyone had gone to Milano, but Courtney wasn’t complaining.

She had even gotten over the fact that she had rivals for the suits attention; because of the more casual dress code and new laid-back attitude of her coworkers, Courtney was pretty sure she had seen Ivy get offered a private island if she would go on a date with one of the suits. However, Courtney wasn’t thrown off her throne as the queen of suits so easily, so she had just upped her own cuteness factor and threw in a touch of slutty.

Violet coughed and placed a hand over Courtney’s phone, finally getting the other’s attention.

“I have something important to tell you about Paris, so I need you to listen, okay?”

“Yes! What’s up?” Courtney smiled, silently counting down the days until she would get the assistant job; she felt she was doing better herself, there hadn’t been anything even resembling a crisis and that had to be because she was doing a good job. “Has there been any changes? I’m already packed and ready to go!”

“I’ll be flying out two days earlier, which means that you will be- wait, what? You’re ‘already packed?‘”

Violet looked genuinely confused, and Courtney decided to take pity on her.

“Yes, I am, I know it’s a little early but I’m just so excited and I wanted to be well prepared, you should do the same thing!”

“Courtney… You’re not going to Paris. Where did you get that idea?”

“What?”

“You’re not going to Paris, who told you you were going?”

Courtney felt tears well up in her eyes. She didn’t understand what Violet was saying. “I’m not going?”

“Let me ask you a very simple question, Courtney. Are you an editor?”

“No…” Courtney looked down, shame curling in her belly. “But neither are you, why do you get to go? That’s not fair!”

“I’m the first assistant, Courtney.”

“So what?!” Courtney was yelling now; she didn’t know what to do. “I’ll be that soon, why can’t I go?”

“Courtney. I know you’re going to be upset when I say this… But there is one fundamental difference between you and I. I’m actually good at my job, which is why I’m going; you, however, are not.”

Courtney and Violet continued looking each other directly into the eyes. Courtney wanted to say something, anything, but she couldn’t. Violet was completely cold, not giving in even an inch and Courtney knew she had lost. She stood up, leaving the office before Violet could say anything more, tears running down her face, her fingers pressing the number of her boyfriend, Willam, at their own will, desperately needing to tell him about her day. He would understand, he always did.

***

“Why hasn’t she called me back?” Adore was sitting in Bianca’s office at Marie Claire, her arms crossed as she was very clearly sulking, while the other one was packing up work documents for the day.

“Have you tried calling her?”

“…No.”

“Then why are you being a little bitch? She can’t call you back if you never contacted her in the first place.”

Adore looked even worse now as she had slumped down into the chair, her arms crossed even tighter.

“But I don’t want to call her.”

Bianca sighed and rolled her eyes. Her baby sister was a true pain in the ass sometimes.

“Maybe she’s just playing hard to get.”

“But I want her to chase after me! Not the other way around.”

“Do you want her to fuck you or not?”

“I don’t know.” Adore whined, getting up now that Bianca was finally ready to leave.

“My advice to you? Get your head out of your ass. Girls are different, and you have to treat them differently.”

“You sound like grandma, ouch! Why the fuck did you pinch me?”

“Because you’re being a brat.”

Bianca and Adore always ate together every single Wednesday. This time Adore had gotten to pick the place, so the two sisters were seated across from each other in the back of the Olive Garden closest to Bianca’s condo.

“I love the bread they have here!” Adore smiled, her mouth full, which made Bianca crinkle her nose, but instead of chastising her, Bianca said something that made Adore’s jaw drop.

“Come with me to Paris, forget about all of this stupid shit that is bringing you down. It’ll be fun, especially since you’ve never been there.”

Adore reached over the table, and took Bianca’s hand in hers.

“B… Has D-berry broken up with you?”

“What? Who the fuck is D-berry?!”

“That blonde I caught you necking with last Sunday. Diane, Drew.”

“Derrick.”

“That’s her! That’s the girl I’m talking about!” Adore was still holding Bianca’s hand, since she could feel that her big sister was upset about the breakup.

“Yes, I broke it off with her, now, do you want to come to Paris or not? I ordered two of everything, so it’ll be free for you…”

“I’d love to come!” Adore smiled brightly, finally letting go of her sister’s hand to return to her meal.

“And honestly, I’m kinda happy you, like, broke up with her, I mean, she was cute and stuff… But she also looked freakily like my friend Courtney. Maybe you should look into that, actually.”

“Shut up and eat your breadsticks, punk.”

***

Max was sitting in the living room in his parent’s house, a cup of tea at his elbow, lovingly given to him in one of the china cups from his mother’s extensive collection, the scent of scones filling the house, his parents’ two sausage dogs napping on the couch.

Max had kindly said no to coming to Milano with everyone else, instead staying with his parents in their house in London for two weeks before he would return back to New York.

He looked up from the puzzle he had been doing, when the doorbell rang.   
“Mom, someone is at the door!”

“Could you be a dear and get it, love? I’m practically covered in flour.”

“Yes, mom.”

Max stood up, expecting it to be the postman, but when he opened the door, he came face to face with one of the last people he had expected to see in rainy London. Jinkx Monsoon was standing on the doorstep of his parents’ house.

“Max, you have to help me. I think I’m in love.”

***

“Katya, hurry up!”

“But look! Miniature gummy bears! Uuuh, and what is this? Nu-tel-la, what do you think this tastes like?”

“Katya, I swear to god. I did not use Galactica’s money to bribe your principal into giving you a long weekend so you could make me be late for work by buying miniature candy at the airport! Now come on.”

Violet grabbed Katya’s arm, dragging the other girl with her so they could go through customs and get out of the crowded airport.

“I’m sorry, ViVi.” Katya looked down, and Violet immediately felt bad. Doing anything that made Katya even the least bit upset felt like she had just kicked a puppy.

Violet sighed. “Don’t call me ViVi.” She released the blonde’s arm, the girls now standing in line to get their papers checked.

It had been an 8-hour flight, and Katya had slept like a baby for the entire trip while the same could not be said about Violet at all. They had both changed in the airport bathroom: Violet into a full-on Fashion Week ensemble with perfect makeup, while Katya had pulled on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt she had stolen from Trixie.

Violet looked at Katya, who was eyeing the duty-free store to their right and she sighed again. “Fine, go on then, I’ll save your spot in line. Hand me your bag.”

“Yes! You’re the best!” Katya smiled and ran off, behaving much like a kid in a… well, candy store, since that was exactly where she was going. The girls finally made it to customs after what felt like an eternity.

“Bonjour monsieur.” Violet smiled at the officer in front of them. “Nous sommes ici pour la semaine de la mode ce sont les documents que. Je suis Violet Chachki et la jeune fille blonde là-bas est mon compagnon, Katya Zamolodchikova.”

“Ceci est un passeport russe, mais vous êtes arrivés d'Amérique.”

Violet sighed and checked her watch. She knew there would be problems involved with bringing Katya along, but she would have never guessed that it was because of Katya’s documents. Violet quietly thanked God for the fact that she had planned a buffer of half an hour.

“Elle est la fille de l'ambassadeur russe, tell him Katya.”

“Tell him what?” Katya was munching on a giant piece of chocolate directly from the package with the word Toblerone down the side.

“That you’re an ambassador’s daughter, and you better tell him now if you want us to not get deported or thrown into French jail, okay?” Violet smiled, the gesture not reaching her eyes at all, her inner clock ticking away as Katya talked to the officer, their conversation painfully slow as Katya didn’t know French.

***

Trixie was standing in the arrivals at the Charles de Gaulle airport, a coffee in hand as he waited for Violet. The girl had sent him an e-mail two days earlier while everyone was still in Milano, asking if he would wait for her in the airport and help her get her luggage to the hotel as Fame had asked to have several of her hats brought to Paris.

Trixie looked up from his phone, and spotted Violet’s familiar head of black hair, when he noticed a slightly smaller, blonde-haired woman to her right, was that? Didn’t he recognize, it couldn’t be? But oh, oh God, it was!

“Katya!!! Katya!!!”

Trixie screamed and jumped the barrier in front of him, not caring that everyone was looking as he ran to the girls, gathering Katya up in his arms and swinging her around. Katya’s laugh filled his ears as he held her so tight he could hear her bones crack, their mouths meeting in a perfect, desperate kiss as the airport staff yelled at them angrily to get out of the way.

***

“You’re looking very…dominant tonight, Rajie.” Sutan smirked, giving his sister a once-over while giving their waiter a tip for the bottles of champagne she had just brought to their table.

Sutan and Raja had been the first to arrive at the VIP section of tonight’s club. Fame had been invited to an afterparty for Dolce and Gabbana, so there was an entire table reserved exclusively for Galactica and whoever they wanted to share it with. The rhythm of the bass could be heard from the dance floor downstairs, but up here it was more than quiet enough to have a conversation without shouting.

“Why thank you, brother dearest.” Raja smirked right back at him, clearly not falling prey to his teasing.

“I wanted to keep it simple and let my natural beauty shine through.” Sutan snorted as Raja was dressed in a black dress that hugged her every curve, her makeup dark and very ready for the club they were in.

“You look very ‘I’m sexy and I know it and I’m not afraid to show it’ in that shirt, waiting for anyone in particular?”

“Well, you know me.” Sutan smiled, serving both of them from the bottle the waiter has just given them. “I’m always going for the natural, low effort, fade into the background kind of look.”

Raja laughed at his comment, and gently nudged her brother. If there was one thing that never described her brother, it was low effort.

“Are you excited to see her?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Sutan took a sip of his champagne, now clearly trying to ignore Raja. “Have you seen Raven? Is she here yet?”

“You’re not getting off this easily!” Raja smiled, snuggling into her brother’s side. “You dressed up because you’re excited to see Violet! Awh, that is so cute, are you jealous that work has taken all of her time today and you have only caught glimpses?”

“I don’t do jealousy, now where’s that waiter, because for totally unrelated reasons to what we are discussing right now, I need a bourbon.”

“You are, aaawh, that is so cute, TanTan. Pity you don’t have your nipple rings in anymore, that would have made such a nice surprise.” Raja laughed and emptied her glass.

“Pity for you, you mean, and a win for me.” Sutan smiled, thankful that Raja had let the subject of Violet go for now. In all honesty, he was so excited about seeing her that he was practically shaking out of his skin. “You were the one who talked me into getting them in the first place.” Sutan was absent-mindedly playing with the ends of Raja’s long, wavy hair as a way to distract himself.

“Get what?” Fame has just walked into the VIP section, a smile on her face, looking dressed to kill.

“It happened almost twenty years ago, so it’s not really news.” Sutan got up from his seat, giving Fame a kiss on each cheek before he held her hand as she sat down in a chair at their table.

“Raja and I were drunk, a man had offered us some happy pills, and before I knew it, Raja had talked me into getting my nipples pierced. I took them out last year, it just felt kind of… silly, to have nipple piercings at 40.”

“That does sound like something Raja would suggest,” Fame laughed, her phone in hand, quickly snapping a picture of the twins who posed prettily for her.

“What can I say, I make a very convincing argument, and you’re just jealous because I still have mine and Raven loves them.” Raja smiled, leaning back into the couch, a very satisfied expression on her face at the thought of her fiancée.

“So where is our other favorite blondie? We have open bottles, and no Pearl, usually the girl is like a bloodhound around free alcohol.” Raja looked around, unable to spot the rest of the Galactica employees. “And where is Trixie?” Raja smiled, signaling the waiter that they would all like a refill and that Fame would like to place an order as well.

“Oh, no, Trixie isn’t here, he’s with Katya.” Fame smiled happily. “Trixie has been moping since London, so when Violet asked if she could bring Katya along I said yes right away. You should have seen my sweet boy when they walked into the hotel earlier today, all smiles and laughs now that Katya is with him again.”

Raja nodded, she had noticed Trixie’s bad mood as well, which had only grown worse and worse since London.

“And Pearl is probably off flirting somewhere, you know how she gets around French girls.”

Both Raja and Fame laughed at Fame’s little read of Pearl, while Sutan was just about ready to kick Raja underneath the table. He wanted to know about Violet, and he knew that Raja knew.

“She’s such a delightful mess. Ah, to be in your twenties again.” Raja smiled, completely ignoring Sutan’s silent plea to her.

“You have no room to talk about anyone being messy, Raja.” Fame smirked, looking at Raja with a knowing expression on her face. “As far as I remember, you used to be quite the womanizer yourself.”

“Touché, mon amie.”

***

“Pearl, oh my god, are you okay?” Violet ran to Pearl’s side, having just spotted the blonde getting a drink thrown in her face by someone Violet assumed was a model. She had only just gotten to the club herself after taking care of Fame’s dry cleaning, the million and one small tasks that had piled up while she hadn’t been with Fame, and gulping down a cup of soup for dinner so fast she was sure her throat was going to burst into flames. She was so tired she was practically seeing double, but Pearl obviously needed her right now.

Pearl shook her head. “I think - I think my French is a little rusty.” Pearl hiccupped, leaning against the bar. “I tol- I told her, Tu n’as pas eu mal quand tu es tombé du ciel, which”, yet another hiccup wrecked Pearl’s frame and Violet quickly signaled the bartender for a bottle of water. “I thought I gave, gave her a compliment in French, but I guess it didn’t come off that way to her.”

“Oh Pearl.” Violet had gotten the bottle, now holding it against Pearl’s red and swollen cheek where she had just been slapped. “You can’t just ask French girls if it hurts when they fell from the sky, you know that sweetie.” Violet gently removed some of Pearl’s hair from her face, the other woman’s makeup ruined, her platinum blonde hair almost seeming pink from the food dye in the drink.

“Come with me, and I’ll get you cleaned up, okay?” Pearl nodded, letting Violet lead her off to the bathroom, which was thankfully almost empty.

“Up on the counter, yes, that’s a good girl, there you go, now drink this water, okay? I’m here, and I’m not leaving you.”

Pearl was obediently drinking the water Violet had given her, while Violet rummaged around in her bag, finding her backup makeup kit and her secret snack stash. As soon as Pearl had emptied the bottle, Violet filled it again, this time letting Pearl sip from it as she gently removed the other girl’s makeup.

“What were you thinking?” Violet held Pearl’s head in her hand, careful not to press against the swollen red mark. “You can’t behave like this, sweetie, you’re not here as Pearl, you’re here as an editor of Galactica, you know this.” Violet had finished wiping Pearl’s makeup off, the others skin thankfully good enough that they could get by without a new base of foundation and concealer. “Here, eat this.” Violet had broken off a small piece of one of the protein bars in her purse, and was now feeding it to Pearl.

“It’s not… It’s not.” Pearl hiccupped, the water and food only making her a little less drunk. “She threw her drink at me, that fucking… That fucking bitch.” Pearl was frowning, for all intents and purposes looking like she had no idea where she was.

“You need to do better, Pearl. You can’t get this drunk when we’re supposed to be working.”

“But I’m in my element, ViVi, this is my element.” Pearl’s words were slurred, but Violet could understand her much better now. “I made my name by being THE party girl of Galactica, always able to get the job done.” Pearl was watching Violet, their bodies oh so close together as Violet was standing between Pearl’s legs, trying to get the other’s makeup done.

“You are, but you can’t be that forever, Pearl, you have to take care of yourself. Your behaviour right now is so problematic!” Violet replied, concentrating on trying making Pearl’s signature winged liner as straight as possible.

“Well, the world is a big and problematic, so what else can you really do when you have a broken heart, but drink drink drink?” Pearl looked at Violet, a sad expression on her face that the other didn’t notice.

“I don’t know sweetie, you tell me, but keep your eyes closed so I can apply some more mascara, I don’t want to poke you in the eye.”

“We just keep living, and fucking shit up, and then, and then sometimes, we meet someone who isn’t shitty, but we don’t know how to deal with that, so we do something fucking dumb to keep living and the good stuff just disappears and everything that is left is a big mess that you fucked up yourself, and then, poof, then we die.” Pearl had rattled all of that off, still looking at Violet who was now trying to put some blush on her, to match out the redness.

“Whatever you say Pearl…whatever you say.” Violet smiled a little, shaking her head at the woman’s philosophy.

“I love you, Violet.” Pearl said the words without any slurring, her eyes surprisingly bright, which Violet took as a sign that Pearl was finally waking up.

“I love you too, sweetie, and we’ll always be friends, now sit still while I do your lipstick.”  
  
***

“Yes yes yes, I am living for this song!” Fame laughed, swaying back and forth as she sang along, before she flopped back down on the couch next to Sutan who had been taking pictures of Fame and Raja, the two women dancing like they were back in their 20s, drinks in hand, Fame’s being a virgin pina colada, as they sang along.

“I swear, DJ Nina Flowers is on fire tonight!” Raja squealed, still dancing around to the beat of the music even if her partner and best friend had left her alone on the floor. “It’s like she is inside my head!”

“She’s amazing.” Fame smiled and nodded at Raja’s words, clearly agreeing. “Oh! Million-dollar idea alert, we should hire her for the Galactica Christmas party this year.”

“Just say the word and it’ll happen.” Sutan looked up from his phone where he was uploading pictures of the night to Instagram. “I have her personal number, so I’ll see what I can do.”

“Oh please, TanTan!” Raja had turned, ready to sit back down next to Sutan, while looking at him with her big, brown, black kohl rimed, alcohol-glazed eyes.

“Make it happen, I’ll be so grateful…I’ll even make you some beef rendang”, she bribed while still swaying to the beat of the music.

“We’ll see; I won’t make any promises.” Sutan smiled, looking away from his sister’s begging eyes that always worked their magic on him.

“Oh thank you, brother!” Raja squealed, giving him a crushing hug. “This calls for celebration! Where is Violet, where is Raven, where is Pearl?! We need another bottle and some party nibbles up in here!” Raja laughed, pointing to Fame who was still laying up against Sutan’s shoulder.

“I’m not entirely sure, Rajie.” Fame looked around, trying to see if she could spot the girls. “They’re here somewhere, wait, let me call Violet, she always picks up right away!”, replied Fame, whipping out her phone from her bag and going into her contacts. “Oh, never mind, here they come now”, she stated while watching Violet and Pearl make their way up the stairs to the VIP level, making excitement curl in Sutan’s stomach as he got his first proper look of Violet in over two weeks.


	9. Chapter 9

Raja hid her smile behind her drink; she had never seen her baby brother act like this before. She could practically hear his heart stop as he watched Violet walk over to them; she could see him melt on the inside when Violet smiled to him.

“Violet! There you are, I have been calling you non-stop all night, what have you been doing?”

“I’m sorry Miss.” Violet looked down, not commenting on that fact that Fame hadn’t called her even once while either Raja or Sutan had been with her. “I spoke with Donatella briefly, she would like you to make an appearance at her table before you leave, her assistant informs me that her dog has recently passed away and the pain is still raw so that subject is best avoided. Are your heels still comfortable or you would like the flats for a while?”

“They’re fine for now, is there anything else?”

“I have arranged a private driver back to the hotel for you at 2:15, if you want that changed please let me know, I have taken care of the expenses, but if needed here is an additional 20 euros just in case, along with an extra battery for your power bank, my french phone number and the numbers of three cab companies. On the off chance that Mr. Gabbana wants to extend the party, or you get another offer, please let me know and I will reschedule your morning meeting. I have talked with Patrick’s assistant, and I have matched up your schedule. Is there anything else you need, Miss?”

Violet had leaned over the table, a small smile on her face as she made eye contact with Sutan while she talked to Fame, her voice low as she delivered her information to her boss. Violet moved a little, making sure that Sutan could look down her top.

“Refills for the table would be nice, thank you dear.”

Violet nodded, picking up their empty glasses, making sure to turn her body against Sutan as she bent over before she got up, a smile on her face for Fame.

“I will be right back, Miss.”

“Oh God.” Sutan crossed his legs and leaned back in his seat and Raja couldn’t help but laugh at him.

[You have peeeenis feelings for her.] Raja smiled, once again incredibly thankful for the fact that she and Sutan shared a language no one else around them knew. [You liiiike her. I can’t believe you have an erection in public, this is too hilarious.]

[Raja, shut up.] Sutan took a deep breath, his hand over his face. [And don’t touch me right now, I’m one step away from being 14 again, I haven’t had sex in two weeks.]

[Why are you so turned on right no- Oh… Ooooh, you think it’s hot that she’s an assistant, I’m right aren’t I? Oh God, I am! You find it hot that she calls her boss Miss!]

[Raja, please, don’t do this to me!]

[Well, go fuck her somewhere!]

[I’m not moving even an inch and oh God, here she comes, save me, Raja!]

Violet was walking towards the table, a tray of drinks in her hands as she walked across the floor, her hips gently swaying to the beat of the music.

“Here you go.” Violet smiled, quickly giving everyone the drinks as well as the snacks she had collected. “I have one for Raven as well, should I go fetch her?”

Fame shook her head as she was watching Pearl who was sitting in the bar, knocking down shots.

“Violet, could you take care of that please?” Fame vaguely gestured towards Pearl. “Get her home safe.”

“Right away, Miss.”

[This might be my personal version of hell.] Sutan took a deep breath, making Raja cackle with delight at his obvious pain as Violet effectively ignored the both of them.

“Hey, Violet!”

[Raja, no, don’t you-]

“Violet, would you find Raven for me as well?” Raja smiled sweetly, catching Violet’s attention. “And while you’re out, could you be a dear and get me a pack of cigarettes as well? American cigarettes, not French.”

“Yes ma’am, sir.”

Violet smiled at Sutan, giving him a quick wink, before she walked away again.

“It’s official, this is hell.”

***

“Baby, baby get on your back”, Katya moaned and pushed Trixie’s shoulder, her legs around his hips and her hands in his hair “I wanna ride you, I wanna ride you so bad.”

Trixie nodded eagerly, closing his eyes, a keen leaving him before he rolled them over, Katya now on top.

“Wait!” Katya gasped as Trixie hit a particularly deep spot inside her on a down stroke.

Trixie stilled immediately, looking up at Katya with panic in his eyes.

“Do we need to talk about the fact that I almost relapsed?” Katya was panting.

“Now? You want to talk about that now?”

Katya nodded, her hair falling down over her shoulders, tickling Trixie’s nose.

“I don’t think now’s the best time baby, could we pleas-,” Trixie couldn’t keep his hips still anymore, the need to fuck simply too much with Katya tight and wet around him. He pushed up and Katya groaned deep in her throat at the delicious full feeling.

“No, no!” Katya pushed down on Trixie’s chest “Stop, don’t move.”

Trixie whimpered, but stopped moving once again.

“Are you okay? You have been so cool about the entire thing, and you didn’t come home, even if you wanted to, because I told you you couldn’t”

Trixie gritted his teeth. “Are you seriously complaining about me doing what you tell me to do, while we are fucking?”

“Well, yeah. I mean, are you okay, baby? All I thought about was me-me-me in the situation…”

Trixie threw his head back and groaned, a deep desperate sound.

Katya was momentarily distracted by the long line of his throat. There was a bead of sweat, and she wanted to lean down and lick it off. Instead, she brushed it away gently with her fingers, not giving into her body’s desire.

“Yes,” Trixie bit out. “I’m okay, I’m okay if you’re okay and if we’re okay and it seems like we are.” He gestured to where their bodies met.

“But…” Katya trailed off, clearly uncertain about the whole situation even as she leaned down and kissed his forehead. “Do you still want to be with me? What if I fuck everything up”

“Can we please talk about this later?” Trixie asked, looking up at Katya, trying not to pump his hips.

“No, we can’t, I need to know!” Katya said sternly, pressing down on his shoulders, keeping him still underneath her.

Trixie groaned and jerked underneath her, panting.

“Don’t,” Katya said. “Do not come, Trixie Mattel, do not come.”

Trixie looked up at the ceiling. Katya didn’t know if he was gathering his thoughts or trying not to spill his load or what. She was starting to feel nervous, but he still felt so good underneath her, and he was still obeying her order not to move, and she couldn’t help it: she was really turned on.

“Answer me,” she said.

“Yes!” he said. “I want to be with you until the day I die, I love you, I love you, every part of you!”

Katya laughed, tears falling from her eyes. They still had a lot they needed to talk about. Rules and boundaries they needed to set, how they would get through if Katya did have a relapse, they had to talk about it, but oh God, Trixie felt so good inside of her.

“Okay,” she said. “Okay.” Katya leaned down and gave him a chaste kiss on the mouth, tears still falling from her eyes. “You can move,” she told him. “But you’re still not allowed to come. Not until I say.”

Trixie groaned, his hips shooting up against Katya’s. She planted her palms on his sweaty shoulders, bracing herself, ready to get fucked.

Trixie thrusted up into her, and she moaned. “Yeah, Trix, you feel so good. You’re so good, oh God.”

Katya leaned down and kissed his jaw, his neck, across his shoulders. His hands shifted along her back, over her ass and thighs. He was touching her everywhere.

“Are you gonna come?” Trixie asked. “Oh fuck, please tell me you’re close, I wanna come so bad, please, please…”

Trixie thrust up helplessly, and Katya moved her hand between their bodies, drawing quick circles around her clit until she felt herself coming. The shock of it rushed through her entire body until she was a boneless heap on top of him.

“Katya, please, please…”

“Come baby, come on.”

Trixie gasped wetly, thrusting several times before gasping and coming deep inside her, shouting his pleasure.

After a while, Katya slid off, cuddling into Trixie’s side. “Are we good?” she asked, looking down at him.

“Well, you’re a pain in my ass, and your timing’s for shit, but… Katya Zamolodchikova, will you marry me?”

Katya felt her jaw drop. “What?”

“Katya Zamolodchikova, will you marry me? Because I want to marry you, I want to marry your bad breath in the morning, and your glitter collection, and your alcohol problem. I want to marry your weird Russian food and how you always have cold feet when we cuddle and the way you always kiss me in the most perfect way. I want to marry all of it.”

“Yes, yes… Yes, of course I’ll marry you!”

Trixie smiled, leaning up and kissing Katya as tears rolled down the other’s face, the two locked together in a tight embrace as they made love.

***

“I still can’t believe that even happened, and in the front row no less,” said Raja after Fame finished her story of a small seating fiasco she saw that happened at the Elie Saab show in Milano the day before.

“Oh, it was messy, but I was like, well, as long as they don’t involve me, I don’t care too much,” replied Fame who took a sip of her virgin cocktail.

“That’s fine”, Said Raja while pouring herself another drink and looking towards her brother and Violet.

Violet was sitting under Sutan’s arm, a shy smile on her face as everyone around her were talking, Fame and Raja discussing the new collections they had seen during the day. Sutan was warm against her side, the familiar scent of him filling her nose, making her feel sleepy and safe as she knew everything in the world was going to be alright, because Sutan was there to take care of her.

“Violet, dear?”

Violet looked up, not even the sound of Fame’s voice able to make her feel awake.

“What did you think of the Dolce and Gabbana show today?”

“Well, the collection looks like Raja made it, the same as always, too much gold and only one kind of model.”

Violet didn’t think about what she had said, until she heard Sutan’s amused snort, only then realizing the words that had left her mouth.

“Hold up…what just happened?” asked Raja incredulously at the laughing expressions and laughter from her brother and best friend at Violet’s comment. “Our mild mannered Violet just read me. Ok…I see you Miss Chachki.” She finished with a laugh and shake of her head at the younger woman’s exhaustion-fueled response.

“That was unexpected, but accurate,” said Fame as she fanned herself sitting back into her seat. “She is definitely sharp.”

“It’s going to take her a minute to recover from that,” laughed Sutan, tucking Violet further into his side.

“Raja!” Raja immediately turned around to the sound of Raven’s sobbing, as she hobbled towards the table, clearly unable to walk on her right foot, tears falling down her cheeks, drink still in hand.

“I can’t put any weight on my ankle! I twisted it on the dance floor and it hurts so much.” Raven sat down, letting Raja put her arms around her. “I have 3 more shows tomorrow and if I can’t walk, I can’t work, and if I can’t get paid, I can’t buy pretty things, and if I can’t get pretty things, I can’t be pretty for you. And if I can’t be pretty for you, I don’t know what I’ll do.”

Raven, the woman who was the queen of the ’Resting Bitch Face’ and has built a highly successful career on the cool yet sultry attitude was nearing hysterics. The intense pain shooting through her entire body from the pain in her ankle made it almost too much to bear. For the lack of a better term, she was screwed and Raja didn’t know what to do to help her.

“Don’t worry, my darling,” started Raja, holding the sobbing form of her fiancée in her gentle embrace. “I’ll get you to the emergency room! Can someone call us a cab?!” Raven was sobbing desperately, clearly in pain as Raja held her. “Oh, my darling. Is there anything I can do to help? Please tell me.”

No one had noticed that Violet had left, until she had returned with a warm towel and a pack of ice.

“Raven, Raven honey. I need you to listen to me now, okay?” Violet gently placed her hands on Raven’s face, forcing the other girl to look her in the eyes.

“I know you’re scared, and I know you’re in a lot of pain, but I need you to be strong right now and I need you to be quiet. I promise you, you will be okay if you let me take care of you, okay?”

Raven nodded.

“That’s a good girl.” Violet smiled. “Now let me see that foot.”

Violet gently removed Raven’s shoe, careful of the blue bruise that was forming on her foot.

“I’m going to touch you now, and it’s going to hurt, but you need to be strong, okay?”

Violet felt Raven’s foot and gently wiped it down with the warm towel before she placed the ice pack on the swelling.

Raja couldn’t see what Violet was doing, but the sound of Raven’s sobbing into her shoulder was becoming lesser and lesser as the thin black-haired girl wrapped her fiancée’s ankle in white tape.

“Ssh, ssh Raven, I know it hurts, I know it hurts so bad right now, but tomorrow everything will be better, your toes are okay and that is all that matters, as long as your toes are fine you can do this, don’t worry, I’ll find some tape that is your skin color and you will still be able to walk.”

Violet had Raven’s foot in her lap, her Dolce & Gabbana dress touching the floor, but it didn’t look like it bothered the young woman at all that her clothes were getting dirty.

“I promise you this works, it works because you and I are the same, we’re tough and we get it done because we have to and there is no other option. If I could dance my entrance exam with two broken toes, you can fight through this pain tomorrow and walk your shows because that is what we do. When something is too hard, when it is almost impossible, we do it anyway and you are a fighter Raven, I believe in you.”

Violet had finished wrapping Raven’s foot, and grabbed Raven’s hands, helping the other woman up as she carefully put pressure on her foot, not screaming in pain.

“I love you…I really fucking do”, Raven started when Violet was finished helping her sit down again. “And I know I’m drunk and in pain but believe me when I say you have just earned yourself a best friend for life.” Raven took Violet’s pale hand in her tanned one, as she continued. “You helped me during one of the busiest and most stressful months of my career, and I will never forget that. Thank you, Violet Chachki.”

Violet looked down at Raven, a small smile on her face.

“Don’t mention it.”

***

Pearl could feel the sun on her face, slowly waking her up as she cracked an eye open, quickly closing it again as it felt like fire got poured down her spine.

“Urgh… What happened last night?” Pearl spoke into the room, not expecting the feel of an arm sneaking around her waist, and a kiss on her shoulder.

“Only some of the best sex of my life, baby.”

Pearl felt ice-cold dread collect in her stomach as she opened her eyes, coming face to face with none other than Adore Delano.

***  
  
“Wake up.”

“Just five more minutes, please.”

Violet woke abruptly when the sound of a warm, deep laughter hit her, her entire upper body getting moved up and down as she was lying on Sutan’s chest. Violet looked up, sleep still in her limbs, making her feel heavy as she tried to hide a yawn.

“Mornin’, lovely eyes.” Sutan chuckled, one of his hands coming to rest on Violet’s head as he slowly carded his fingers through her hair.

“… Where am I? What happened last night?”

Violet tried to sit up, but Sutan’s hand in her hair felt too good to even think about that; she moved around a little, trying to get comfortable again.

“We split a cab yesterday since we’re all staying at the same hotel… And, well, you fell asleep before we had even pulled out from the club.”

“Oh God, no, that’s so embarrassing.”

“I thought it was cute.”

Violet didn’t have to see Sutan’s face to know he had a huge, shit-eating grin on his lips. “When we got to the hotel, I carried you inside; you didn’t even wake up, not even when I tucked you in, so you obviously needed the sleep.”

“I’m sorry… I haven’t slept for 28 hours…” Violet crawled even deeper into Sutan’s arms, hiding her face in his neck, inhaling deeply as she enjoyed the scent of her man.

“Wait a minute... Where is my dress?” Violet hadn’t thought about it, but all she was wearing were her panties and one of Sutan’s shirts.

Sutan laughed again, grabbing Violet’s arm and turning them around so he was lying on top of her.

“It’s on the chair over there.”

“Oh God… Did you have to undress me?” Violet blushed, clearly embarrassed even as she opened her legs and allowed Sutan to slot in between them.

“Well, you couldn’t do it yourself, you didn’t even wake up when I took off your makeup.” Sutan smiled as he kissed his way down Violet’s neck, making the other gasp as he undid the buttons on her shirt.

“And I’m glad I at least got to undress you after you tortured me all night.”

Violet smirked, a moan leaving her as Sutan kissed the sensitive skin of her throat. “So you noticed?”

“Did I notice? You come into the club in the sexiest little dress, and then you bend over and show me you’re not wearing a bra?” Sutan bit down on her neck, making Violet gasp.

“Don’t leave a mark!”

“I won’t, I won’t.” Sutan hummed as he kissed his way down her chest. “You drive me insane in the best possible way, Violet, I wanted you so badly in that club, wanted to fuck you until you couldn’t remember anything but my name.”

Violet moaned and arched up against Sutan, desperately trying to get some friction in between her legs, but the weight of his body was holding her down as he was pinching, sucking and teasing her nipples, making tears gather in her eyes out of frustration and need.

“Please tell me you have a condom… Please.” Violet’s voice was barely more than a whisper, but Sutan heard her and nodded.

“They’re in the drawer.”

Violet looked up at him, her cheeks completely red as their eyes locked together. “Please… I want… I want to…”

“Ssh, ssh.” Sutan smiled, their lips locking in a kiss, neither of them caring about the other’s morning breath. Violet was clinging to Sutan, small desperate moans leaving her lips as Sutan reached into the drawer on the side of the bed, holding his weight with one hand, only breaking their kiss to rip the packet open with his teeth.

Violet silently praised God that the man she was fucking was, well, just that, a man and not a fumbling boy who didn’t know what he was doing. Violet broke their kiss and pushed down her panties, not even caring about Sutan’s surprised moan as she grabbed his cock and guided it inside her, the feeling of finally, finally being filled was blissful and Violet couldn’t help but whimper as Sutan bottomed out inside of her, all tension leaving her body as she went completely lax in his arms, her lips slightly parted as she gasped for air. Their rhythm together was slow and gentle, the two of them just enjoying each other’s bodies. Violet moaned, looking into Sutan’s eyes.

“You… You feel… This, this is really good.” Violet whispered; she could feel her cheeks heat up. She had never been one to be vocal in bed, the few times she had done it, but with Sutan it was different. She knew her embarrassment was worth it though, when Sutan flashed her a smile that was practically blinding.

“You’re the sexiest woman I’ve ever met.”

Sutan grabbed her legs and guided them from his hips and over his shoulder, the angle he could thrust at now so much deeper. Violet’s fingers were gripping his biceps, his hair, the sheets, moaning out her please as Sutan fucked her good and deep, her own hand finally finding her clit, Sutan’s teeth buried themselves in the flesh of her neck as they came together. Violet’s world turned white for a moment before Sutan came deep inside her, Violet momentarily regretting that she couldn’t feel the hot rush of Sutan’s seed filling her because of the condom.

***

“So, Katya and I have an announcement.”

Trixie took Katya’s hand, a smile on his face as he looked at Fame and Pearl who were sitting opposite of them, the leftovers of their brunch on the table. Pearl had been late for the breakfast, but Trixie didn’t think much of it as Pearl was almost never on time.

“Are you okay?” Fame looked worried as she set her coffee cup down, making eye contact with Katya, trying to figure out if the Russian blonde was okay. Katya smiled ominously, her and Trixie shouting the announcement at the same time.

“We’re getting married!”

“You’re getting married?!” Fame screamed so loudly that everyone in the hotel restaurant looked at them, her scramble to get up drowning out the sound of Pearl dropping her smoothie, the glass shattering on the floor.

“I’m so happy for you! Oh God, I can’t believe it, my pets are getting married!” Fame hugged both of them, kissing Trixie and then Katya right on the mouth, leaving behind traces of lipstick, tears falling from her eyes as she sobbed with happiness.

“When did this happen?! Oh, I can’t stop crying, we have to have an engagement dinner! Have you told Max yet? Patrick will be so happy for you! I promise that Violet will help you with everything! I’m so happy for both of you!” Katya was crying along with Fame as Trixie laughed, none of them noticing the fact that Pearl looked shell-shocked.

“I don’t know!” Katya laughed through her tears. “It just, it just happened! But oh, Fame, it was so perfect, like, fairytale perfect, I can’t believe Trixie asked me to marry him!”

“Oh, baby girl, I can’t believe it, I’m so happy for you, when will the wedding happen?”

“I don’t know?” Katya smiled, tears still falling from her eyes as Fame hugged her tight, the two women locked in an embrace. “I think we’re happy just being engaged for now, everything is just so exciting!”

“Hey, Pearl, are you okay?” Pearl looked up, seeing Trixie sit down next to her, her best friend wrapping an arm around her. “You don’t look too good…”

“I’m fine, I’m fine, it’s just…”

“I know it’s a lot, but we’re really happy.” Pearl nodded, clearly still in shock over the fact that Trixie had proposed. “How about we start with a smile, and then you should go hug Katya, do some girly shit and tell her congratulations, okay?”

Pearl nodded again, a small smile on her face. “That’s my best girl, now go get her.”

Pearl stood up and walked over to Katya, ready to give the other girl a hug.

***

Violet was sitting on the bed, checking her phone, when she heard a knock on the door.

“Sutan? Are you expecting anyone?”

Violet waited for a few seconds, but the only reply she got was the sound of water from the bathroom. She shrugged and grabbed Sutan’s kimono off its hook, tying it with one hand as she opened the door, expecting that it would be room service that Sutan had ordered while she had been dozing.

“Bonjour, vous pouvez mettre le petit déjeuner ici. Ai-je besoin de signer quoi que ce soit?”

Violet had grabbed Sutan’s wallet off the small entrance table, looking in it for a tip for the lobby boy.

“So you’re the slut he’s been sleeping with?”

“… What?”

“Are you, the whore, he’s been sleeping with?”

“Excuse me, do you work here?”

“No, but apparently you do!”

Violet gasped as the woman at the door gave some serious side eye to the fact that Violet was holding Sutan’s wallet in her hands.

“I’m going to have to ask you to leave! Right now.”

Violet was just about to close the door in her face, when Sutan came back into the room, a towel slung low on his hips as he was drying off his hair.

“Mimi! Good morning, I’m so glad you could make it.” Sutan came over to the door and opened it, letting the woman in. Violet didn’t know what to do, completely stunned by the fact that Sutan apparently knew the woman who had just called her a whore. “Do you have the papers I asked you for?”

“Yes, Mr. Amrull.” The woman nodded, handing Sutan a thick black portfolio, a sweet smile on her face. “Your sister called and asked you to join her and Miss Petruschin for brunch in the hotel restaurant, if you check your email I have rented out a conference room for Go Sees at 6 pm, the address is there as well.”

“Good, did you get the redhead I saw at the Kenzo show? The one from The Netherlands?”

“Yes, Mr. Amrull.”

“Well done, thank you”

“You don’t need anything else? Anything at all I should take care of before I leave?” Mimi looked at Violet, a raised eyebrow to Sutan, clearly indicating what she thought of the fact that there was a half-dressed woman in his hotel room.

“Oh, shoot, sorry. I completely forgot to introduce you guys. Violet, this is Mimi Imfurst, my personal assistant, Mimi, this is Violet Chachki, my…” Sutan trailed off, clearly not knowing how exactly to introduce Violet.

“It’s okay, Mr. Amrull, Violet and I already know each other, don’t we gurl?” Mimi smiled, and Violet almost couldn’t recognize the woman who had looked at her only moments before with clear disgust in her eyes.

“I’m.. I’m going to take a shower, take all the time you need.” Violet looked down, quickly escaping the easy chitchat that Mimi and Sutan had fallen into, shame curling in her stomach as she caught sight of herself in the mirror and saw her messy hair and the big purple bruise Sutan’s teeth had left on her throat.

Violet took her time in the bathroom and in the shower, afterwards carefully drying her hair, letting the natural curls stay and doing her makeup, waiting for the strange woman to leave so she could come out and get dressed. Violet didn’t know how much time had gone by, but when she opened the door bathroom door it felt a little like a punch to the stomach to see the blonde woman was still there.

“Umm, Sutan?” Violet smiled a little, trying not to seem too anxious about the fact that there still was what was essentially a stranger in their hotel room, Violet’s eyes darting between Mimi and Sutan. “How is everything?”

“We’re almost done!” Sutan didn’t catch the look on Violet’s face as he was buttoning his jeans, and Violet felt a strange clench in her stomach at the way Mimi was looking at him.

“I actually called Mimi up here for you.” Sutan grabbed a shirt from the closet and began to button it in. “Mimi is going to be working for Fame until lunch today, so you can have the morning off to spend with me. I needed some documents delivered, but that’s done now, so Mimi is yours for the rest of the morning.” He finished while adding his signature to the end of the document before placing into a folder in his work bag before turning to face Violet once more.

“Oh…” Violet knew she sounded lame, but she couldn’t stop herself, the piece of the puzzle as to why Mimi was so angry with her slowly falling into place. “I, umh, I have a list with the tasks that need to be done, but I can do them myself, it’s ok-” Violet was trying to wrap her bathrobe even tighter around her as Mimi was staring at her.

“Really Miss Chachki, it’s no problem at all”, said Mimi through gritted teeth and with a forced smile. “Do you have a paper form copy of your ‘to do list’ for Miss Fame? Or electronic?”

“I have a handwritten copy in my bag that you can have.” Violet shook herself out of her daze, and smiled to Mimi, her professional mask now sliding into place. “Sutan, where did you put my bag? I can’t find it.”

“Oh, it’s over here.” Violet could practically feel Mimi’s eyes burn themselves into her neck as Sutan easily located her bag from the day before, giving her a light kiss. “Here you go.”

“Thank you.” Violet smiled a little, immediately beginning to searching through her bag for the list, eager to get Mimi out of the room so she could get dressed.

“Here” Violet handed the list to Mimi. “I have the tasks set up by level of importance, it’s completely okay if you don’t have time to finish all of it-”

“Are you questioning my level of competence, Miss Chachki?”

“No, no, of course not.” Violet took a deep breath, Mimi’s cold attitude almost making her miss Courtney’s warm incompetence. “First is her dry cleaning that needs to be picked up, she has a private gallery opening to attend to this evening and her dress needs to be in her room before 2; next are pickups at Chanel, Louis Vuitton and Chloe that must be signed for, then to Sephora for a new bottle of Gucci Guilty pour Homme. I’ll take care of everything else after lunch, I have the list memorized so if you have any questions please get in contact with me first, before Sutan or Miss Fame… Actually, don’t contact Miss Fame at all, please? My phone is fully charged!”

Mimi was clearly not listening to a word Violet was saying as she read through the list. “Wow… Such a busy schedule,” said Mimi with a slight snarl. “It’s a wonder how you have time to do anything else.”

Mimi was clearly being sarcastic, but Violet wasn’t going to take that lying down.

“If you are efficient and you spend your time wisely, even the most impossible of tasks become possible. If you ever need any help managing your work schedule, I’d be happy to step up and give you a hand.”

Sutan smiled, having completely missed the girls’ catfight as he was now finished getting dressed.

“I wish more people had your work ethic.” Sutan kissed Violet’s hair, taking her smaller hand in his larger one.

“Well, if that is all,” started Mimi who jammed the list Violet gave her in her bag, crumpling the paper, “I will call you to let you know when I’m finished with this list, Mr. Amrull.” She finished turning to face Sutan, totally ignoring Violet.

“That’s great, Mimi, thanks.“ Sutan looked at Mimi with a swoon-worthy smile. “You know what,” he started before turning to face Violet, clearly making a decision in the moment before he turned his head back to Mimi, “Just shoot me a text when you’re finished with the list, and you can have the rest of the night off, I won’t be needing any assistance today.”

“Oh… Okay, well, I will report in to you tomorrow then, have a good day, Mr. Amrull”, said Mimi as she left the hotel room, letting the door slam behind her as she left.

Violet winced, still not completely sure everything she had just experienced had actually happened. It felt utterly surreal, but Sutan’s hand in hers reminded her in the best way that she was very much there.

“So!” Sutan looked at Violet, a smile still on his face, giving him the most adorable smile lines; he was fully dressed, while Violet was still only wearing a bathrobe. “My sister invited us to brunch with her and Raven today at Raven’s request, I said yes, and I hope that’s okay?”

Sutan squished Violet’s hand a little, apparently only now realizing how much he had taken charge. Violet had been rebooked to his room, he hadn’t actually asked her if she wanted to come home with him the night before, and now he had taken up her entire morning.

“I’d love to.”

Sutan sighed happily, visibly relaxing now that Violet had agreed to spend time with him.

“As long as I can borrow one of your turtleneck sweaters.” Violet smiled as she turned around, letting her robe fall as she walked towards the closet, her entire body now naked, letting Sutan see all the bruises and marks he had left behind on her milky skin. “Because thanks to you, I can’t wear any of the tops or dresses I brought, since my neck is one giant mark.”

“If giving you love bites is all I need to do to see you in my clothes, then that can easily be arranged,“ Sutan laughed, a predatory smile on his face as he followed her, rolling up his sleeves.

"Ah, you naughty man!” Violet gave a shriek of laughter as Sutan spun her around, lifted her up and slammed her into the wall.

***

Pearl was standing outside of the hotel, her hands shaking slightly as she tried to make her lighter work, so she didn’t even notice the hotel door opening, Trixie stepping out onto the street.

“Hey Pearlie girl, are you okay?”

Pearl looked up, a smile instantly appearing on her lips, even as it didn’t reach her eyes.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m good. Do you wanna bum one?”

“Nah.” Trixie smiled as he sat down on the curb, not caring that his pants got dirty as he took off his jacket so Pearl could sit down beside him.

“Congrats on your marriage.”

“We’re not married yet.”

“I know, I know, I’m sorry, I’m being silly.” Pearl took a puff of her cigarette. “Trix, I have to tell you something, something happened yesterday, between me and Violet, I… I need to.”

“Pearl Liaison, will you be my best man?”

“I told her I, wait, what, you want me to be your best man?!” Pearl looked up at Trixie, her cigarette completely forgotten. “But I’m not even a dude!”

“No, you’re not, but you are my best friend. So, what do you say?”

“Yes! Yes, of course, I’ll totally be your best man!” Pearl hugged Trixie, not even noticing that the ash from her cigarette had burned a hole in her jeans as the two best friends were locked in a tight embrace, sitting on the curb outside of a hotel on a cold September day in Paris.

***  
  
“Hello, boo. What’s up?”

“Hey, cotton candy. I just got an idea.”

“What idea?” Courtney could feel excitement slowly making her skin prickle as she talked to Willam on the phone. She was still beyond pissed over not going to Paris, but now that Violet has left, the younger girl was giving absolutely no fucks about the job. She was spending long hours throwing gummy bears at Violet’s computer screen or at Alaska’s office, letting her friend practice makeup on her. She even considered coming to work in denim shorts and cork sandals this morning, but she decided to go with a short dress in the end.

“Now that everybody’s in Europe, maybe I’ll come visit you at work? We can fool around on your desk if you want. You can’t see me, but I’m winking right now.”

“Oh my God, Will, stop!” she started giggling uncontrollably. Of course she wanted him to come over; it’s good that she wore the cute dress after all.

“Please, baby. I haven’t seen you for, like – 20 whole hours!”

“Okay, okay, fine! It’s not like I’m doing anything important after all. But bring lunch!”

“What do you want?”

A salad, she wanted to say, but then she realized Violet is not there, and neither is Miss Fame. “Spaghetti. Or pizza. I don’t know. But with lots of onion and garlic.”

Willam chuckled. “Will do. I’m on my way.”

Courtney had to pick Willam up from downstairs and lead him into the building, but it all paid off in the elevator when he pinned her against the wall with one hand, the other busy holding takeout boxes, and started kissing her neck. “Mhmmm. I missed you. You smell so nice.”

“It’s Flowerbomb by Viktor&Rolf.”

“Is it? I don’t care.”

Courtney grinned, trying to push Willam off her and straighten her clothes. “As least wait until we’re in my office!”

“Alright, alright, buzzkill!”

A few minutes later, after they sneaked through the main corridor basically unnoticed and carefully locked the office door behind them, they were making out heavily, Courtney half-lying on her own office desk, Willam hovering over her.

“I have an idea,” whispered Willam, tickling her neck with hot puffs of breath.

“Again?”

“Yeah. How about”, Willam’s fingers traced patterns on Courtney’s naked leg, higher and higher, stopping at her thigh. “How about we sneak into Miss Fame’s office? I bet she’s got a bigger desk.”

“Are you insane?” Courtney couldn’t stop the giggling fit she went into. That was a stupid idea, that was breaking all the rules that were in place at Galactica, that was breaking everybody’s trust. But all she could feel was heat between her body and Willam’s; all she wanted was to just feel good for a moment in this place. She remembered meeting Violet at the party and actually liking her a lot, feeling hopeful about this new job and her awesome coworker. And then she remembered Violet telling her she’s bad at her job, Violet leaving to Paris and leaving her behind.

“Please Court. I just wanna make you feel good.” William’s hand went past her thigh and underneath her dress, touching the soft lace of her underwear, and Courtney made a decision.

She was going to fuck her boyfriend on Miss Fame’s desk.

“Alright. Just let me get the key.”

***

“Good morning!”, sang Raven as soon as Sutan and Violet got close enough to hear her, waving at the two, Raja offering up a half smile from their reserved booth, the food already on the table.

“Good morning to you as well.” Sutan leaned in, giving Raven’s cheek a kiss, letting Violet give Raven a brief hug afterwards before he kissed Raja’s hair, causing her to grumble, and sit down.

“Good morning. Rajie, I see you ordered coffee, hangover from last night?”

“As if.” Raja smiled, putting her phone away as she pushed the pot of coffee towards Sutan. “It’s for you, old man, I even got you heavy cream.”

“You remembered…fossil.” Sutan sighed heavily as he started to prepare his cup of much needed coffee.

Meanwhile Raven was digging into the brunch with gusto; she and Violet already happily chatting away, even if Raven did most of the talking.

“Oh, by the way, thank you again for last night, my ankle feels so much better, you have to teach me that trick you did with the tape, I could barely feel a thing!”

Raja snorted. “To be fair, you were pretty drunk.”

“Shut up! I had everything under control!”

Raven laughed, leaning over to give Raja a brief but sweet kiss, everyone falling into easy silence as they ate.

Violet hid a yawn behind her hand; she had gotten a good night’s sleep, had practically been dead to the world, but she still felt jet lagged and tired, her encounter with Mimi nagging away at the back of her mind. Violet yawned again, this time not quick enough to cover it. In all honestly, she wasn’t actually a morning person, it was only through years of habit and training that she could get up at the break of dawn every day. But right now, she wanted nothing more than a soft bed, a fluffy pillow and some peace and quiet.

“Someone looks like they are in need of more coffee.” Raja smiled, making Violet blushed as she served the young woman. “I swear, Raven is the only person I know that is naturally chipper in the morning without caffeine or sugar.”

“Whatever.” Raven laughed, not even bothered that everyone around her, including her fiancée, were barely awake compared to her own alert and happy mood.

“I’m just happy that I’m not in pain, and that I get to have breakfast with some of my favorite people in the world, in one of the most beautiful cities in the world.” Violet felt herself tense up; Raven couldn’t possibly mean her too, the women barely knew each other. Almost by reflex, Violet tugged herself a little tighter into Sutan’s side, enjoying the way the bruises of her skin ached and grounded her. It was a sensation she knew from training; her exhausted and aching body, often keeping her head clear and centering her through a hard day at work. But she had never before experienced it when the marks came from another human being.

“And after last night, you are amongst that select group of people.”

“Oh…” Violet looked at Raven, surprise on her face. “Well, thank you, but it wasn’t that big of a deal,” started Violet, looking down at her porridge, using her spoon to stir the white mass around a little. “If you want, I can show you some stretches that will really help with any lingering pain, but honestly, don’t mention i-”

“No! What you did meant saving my life, Violet!” Raja snorted again, clearly amused by Raven, completely forgetting how utterly helpless she herself has been in the situation, and how scared she had been on behalf of Raven when the other woman had been crying.

“You went out of your way to help me-”

“I got you an ice pack and a tow-”

“A ba ba ba, we’re bonded for life now, whether you like it or not,” declared Raven who had just cut Violet off yet again.

“Besides, now that we are bonded for life…” Raven smiled brightly, and Violet got the nagging sensation that she was about to ask her a favour. “TanTan told me you have the day off.”

“The morning, I told you she had the morning off.” Violet smiled a little at Sutan, since this was the first words he had said since they started eating. She knew it was dumb, but she had to admit that she found his grumpiness kind of adorable.

“Whatever! My point still stands that she has time to spend with me, sooo…” Raven look at Violet, a crazed glint in her blue-grey eyes. “Let’s go spend your day-”

“Morning.”

“Morning off, by spending some money!”

“I don’t know, Raven…I mean I’m sure you have other things that need to be done.” Violet took a small sip of her coffee, watching the others’ faces.

“Nonsense! I’ve walked 2 of my 3 shows already, and I would like to spend some time getting to know you better.”

Raven snatched Raja’s phone from the table, putting it in her bag when Raja had started texting again; the other woman giving a defeated sigh even as there was also a smile on her lips.

“Besides, Raja has to actually work; I refuse to be cooped up in the room for the next 5 hours with nothing to do and no one to entertain me in one of my favorite cities to shop in!” She finished with a smile that Violet couldn’t help but get used to. “Also, it’d be the perfect bonding time.”

“Easy, Rave, let her at least finish her breakfast before you singlehandedly monopolize her free time, maybe Violet has other things to do?”

Sutan had just finished up his first cup of coffee, already pouring himself his second.

“Sorry! I’m just excited to spend the day with my new best friend!” Raven smiled, her and Violet’s feet intertwined underneath the table as Raven wouldn’t leave Violet alone.

[Don’t you think that’s enough sugar, TanTan?] asked Raja in Indonesian as she watched her brother shovel spoonful after spoonful into his cup.

[Considering I haven’t had a cigarette since yesterday, the answer to your question is no.] Sutan made a grimace as he poured in what had to be an unhealthy amount of heavy cream.

[Awwww, looks like someone needs his nicotine fix], Raja laughed. She knew it was cruel, but few things amused her more than her brother in pain, and she could practically see his hands shake as he hadn’t gotten any nicotine in the last 12 hours.

[Shut up, Rajie, I told V…] Sutan smiled a little, one of the only downsides to their secret language was that they couldn’t use names if they didn’t want others to know what they were talking about. […I don’t smoke because she said smoking was a deal breaker for her, but she caught me with half a ciggy once and I tried to talk my way out of it. I told her it was only because I was stressed out, and you should’ve seen the look of disgust on her face; so no, no I’m not a ‘smoker’ anymore…] Sutan sighed as he started stirring the sweet concoction.

[But you had half a pack yesterday], Raja smiled, her tone teasing.

[Thank you for reminding me, and as far as I recall, all of them came from you. So when you think about it, all of this is actually your fault,] Sutan replied sulkily in Indonesian before taking a sip of his drink.

“Fuck… This tastes like liquid pain.” He groaned out in English.

“If you hadn’t pour so much sugar into it, it wouldn’t be so bitter.” Violet smiled a little, switching out their cups so Sutan could have her untouched one, Sutan’s cup now sitting all alone on the side of the table. “You’ve effectively ruined a perfectly good cup of coffee, dewdrop.” Violet blushed; she couldn’t believe she had just called Sutan that. It had been a nickname her and her first boyfriend had used all the time, a reference to a shared experience and Violet was anxiously watching Sutan’s face, trying to figure out if he was okay, but he only laughed and leaned down to kiss her.

“That’s such a cute name!” Raven giggled, rocking back and forth with her laughter. “I remember when I met the twins, and their first nicknames.”

“You have to tell me!” Violet smiled happily, Sutan’s kiss and his hand on her hip, her hand leaned against his shoulder filling her with a sense of peace as she was sneaking the pieces of strawberry off of Sutan’s french toast.

“Oh God, no.” The twins groaned simultaneously as they rolled their eyes.

“Deal with it.” Raven laughed. “When I first met Sutan, I couldn’t have been more than like 18-19 years old.”

“So it was forever ago.”

“Shut up, Raja, we’re like the same age.” Raven smiled at her fiancée anyway, continuing her story. “I had just arrived in America, fresh from Russia on a 1-way ticket, scared to death because I knew limited English and no one at all in the entire country except for this guy that had scouted me in Saint Petersburg and told me I had a chance of breaking through as a model. He hooked me up, and I started working for this really shady, very small agency that has gone bankrupt since then. The neighborhood I lived in was real scary, I had never known anyone who wasn’t Russian, and all of a sudden there were people who looked different and all of them spoke different languages that I didn’t understand.” Raven laughed, clearly a little ashamed at how scared she had been.

“Anyway, I actually met Sutan completely by accident, it was this low profit casting call for a random-ass shampoo campaign and he was there looking for new potential supermodels.”

“Which paid off.” Sutan smiled, him and Violet fighting a little for the strawberries on his plate with their forks.

“It did, that campaign was the start of my career, and Sutan got me signed to Elite because of it. I have to admit that I had a little crush on him.”

“Before you knew you were a lesbian of course.” Raja smiled a little, a teasing tone in her voice.

“I grew up in conservative Russia, can you blame me? Anyway, instead of calling him just ‘Sutan’, I called him ‘Sutan-rico’ because I thought he was hot.” Raven said with a laugh at the name as she placed a slice of a ham and cheese tartine on her plate.

“Eventually the crush passed and he just became a friend, but, as fate would have it, if you’ve hung around one twin, you will eventually meet the other.” Raven took a bite of her small omelet.

“I worked my way up the ladder at Elite and though Sutan was the original person to sign me with Elite, and I worked under him, I didn’t work directly with him until like 10 years ago when I had finally gotten big enough to work with Mr. Amrull himself.”  
Sutan flipped Raven off, a smile on his lips.

“You make me sound like a douche.”

“Well, you are.” Raven laughed. “I had seen Raja before of course, but it was always in passing, so when we first met, almost instantaneously a name came up for her.” She said while taking a sip of her green tea. “Raj Mahal.”

“Raj Mahal.”

“Yep! It has a nice ring to it! And at the Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, I won $1,000!” replied Raven with a happy bounce of her shoulders.

“But you named her after a casino and most importantly, a tomb,” stated Sutan blandly, still annoyed that his coffee wasn’t giving him what he needed, and tasting terrible on top of it.

“Oh, don’t be jealous that my name is better than yours. I get a wonder of the world while you get some random ‘hot guy,’” said Raja with a gloating smirk as she wrapped her arm around Raven’s waist.

“Well, if it’s any consolation, you are my favorite ‘hot guy’ and no one else will have a nickname like that.“ Raven said sweetly while batting her lashes towards Sutan.

“Awww, are you jealous, Tan?” asked Violet as she leaned into him and his warmth, still a little tired from being jet lagged.

“I’m not jealous,” he mumbled while giving the young woman a soft kiss on her temple. “It’s just my sister’s head is big enough that she doesn’t need any more help from that ridiculous name from Raven.”

“Spoken like a true hater,” quipped Raja.

***

Before he started the car and left Galactica’s parking lot, Willam picked Rhea’s number with shaking hands.

“Yo?”

“First of all, pussy is so gross. How do you people manage to regularly fuck girls?”

“Can’t answer that, you know I switch often.” Willam could imagine Rhea shrugging and picking on her nails.

“Second of all, I just took pictures of like 50 pages of documents straight from Miss Fame’s office. If there’s nothing newsworthy there, you have my official permission to cut my dick off.”

“Damn, man! You did this! Fuck yeah! Come over, we’ll open some champagne and look through the stuff.”

Driving through busy New York streets, Willam was trying to push down the overwhelming sense of guilt, and enjoy his success; trying not to remember Courtney’s pretty face, lit up with the afterglow, when she waved at him and went to clean herself up in the bathroom, leaving him alone at Miss Fame’s office for whole 15 minutes.

This was his victory! The guilt was just a complication he’ll get rid of.

***  
  
“Hey Katya, is it cool if I come in? Trixie told me you would be here, how are yo- What are you guys doing?” Violet looked up from her phone and saw Pearl and Katya laying together in bed, Pearl’s head in Katya’s lap as the two girls were watching a black and white movie on the hotel room TV.

“Hey, ViVi.” Katya smiled brightly, moving a little so there would be room for Violet on the bed as Pearl raised her hand in greeting. “We’re watching a movie, wanna join?” questioned Katya.

“Don’t call me ViVi.”

Violet smiled and toed off her shoes, crawling onto the bed, not catching the short glimpse of complete panic on Pearl’s face as she sat down next to Pearl, her hands instantly finding the other’s hair.

“Sooo, Fame told me the good news.”

“I know! I can’t believe it!” Katya laughed happily. “I’m getting married, me, I’m getting married, to someone I love!”

“You lucky bastard.” Violet smiled, leaning over Pearl’s head to give Katya a tight hug. “I ordered a table at Ellen’s Stardust diner for your engagement dinner, Max has already RSVPed.”

“Really? Oh, do you think they’ll sing Disney songs? Trixie loves The Little Mermaid! Can they please sing Part Of Your World? Please please please?”

“I’m sure that can be arranged.” Violet smiled, Katya’s excitement rubbing off on both Pearl and her, the three girls watching the movie for a while as Violet was lazily braiding Pearl’s hair.

“Does anyone want some popcorn or a snack? I’ll call room service and we can get some pay per view, they have to have an awesome movie or two!”

Katya had already crawled off the bed, grabbing the phone while awkwardly trying to speak English with the man in the reception. Pearl looked up at Violet, a happy and lazy smile on her face when their eyes met.

“This is nice…” Violet gently caressed Pearl’s forehead.

Pearl nodded, closing her eyes and enjoying the pleasant sensation of Violet’s soft and cold hands.

“Very nice, I missed this… I’m sorry I’ve been such a.. Well, such a douche.” Pearl flushed, thinking back to the fact that she had declared her love less than 24 hours ago, the other woman not even noticing.

“You’re my douche, so don’t worry about it.” Violet smiled and leaned down, giving Pearl’s forehead a kiss.

“We good?”

“The best,” she whispered, the two girls laughing together.

“So, should we watch Clueless or Breakfast at Tiffany’s?”

“Breakfast at Tiffany’s.”

“Clueless, duh.”

“Ten Things I Hate About You it is then.”

Katya laughed, getting back into bed and snuggling into Pearl’s side, all of them chatting until the room service arrived, which Violet collected, Katya pressing play on the movie at the same time. While the opening sequence rolled over the screen the girls all settled into comfortable silence, Pearl and Katya digging into the bowl of popcorn as Violet drank her bottle of mineral water.

“So, how are things going with the boyfriend?” Katya threw a handful of popcorn at Violet, giggling when the other girl huffed in annoyance.

“Shut up, he’s not my boyfriend.”

“Wait, what, you have a boyfriend, ViVi?”

Violet tugged at Pearl’s hair in punishment for calling her ViVi, making Pearl wince and grin before Violet returned to her braiding. She was working on a crown braid around Pearl’s head, her fingers gently scratching against Pearl’s scalp as she considered how she should respond to Katya’s question.

“I don’t know… I mean… We’ve been on a few dates, and I’m sharing a room with him here. But I don’t know. It’s nice?”

Pearl couldn’t concentrate on the friendly banter between Katya and Violet, the sense of calm she had had only moments ago completely gone. She couldn’t believe what she had just heard. Did Violet have a boyfriend? Was it the man from the Vogue party? Did this mean that any chance Pearl had had at getting together with Violet was gone? Pearl did the only thing she could think of as she grabbed her phone and send off a quick text.

“Hey, wanna grab a slice of pizza? I’m paying.”

***

Courtney was walking back to her office after she had seen Willam off, all smiles and giddiness and relax. She almost didn’t notice Alaska’s bony hand as the other girl stopped her in the hallway, and dragged her into an empty bathroom, locking the door behind them.

“Lasky? What the hell?”

Concern looked very out of place on Alaska’s face; the other girl was usually all smiles, but not right now. It must’ve been serious, and Courtney’s mood disappeared immediately.

“Please talk to me, what’s happening?”

“They guy who just left… Do you know who he is?”

“He’s – he’s my boyfriend. I’m sure I told you about him! He was just visiting me for lunch, and some other stuff if you know what I mean.”

Courtney smiled, hoping Alaska would take the bait and talk about anything else, anything at all but why Alaska looked so concerned.

“Courtney, sweetheart. Is Willam Belli your boyfriend?”

“Yes!” Courtney crossed her arms beneath her breasts; she was feeling defensive, confused by Alaska’s strange behavior. What was weird about Courtney dating Willam? They were really happy together.

Alaska opened the door to one of the empty bathroom stalls, pushing Courtney in so that she was seated on a closed toilet seat. The tall blonde held her friend by the shoulders. “That guy is a journalist for OK!”

“So? I know he’s a journalist. He told me when we first met.”

“He’s been sniffing around the company for ages, Court. He tried to do a number on Pearl, she told me he was trying to extract info out of her, but Pearl clams up right away, no matter how drunk she is, because she knows her contracts. You signed a non-disclosure too, right? Courtney?”

“I did. And I didn’t tell him anything! He’s my boyfriend, Alaska, we love each other… Do you think he…? No, that’s impossible.”

Alaska gave Courtney a sad, apologetic smile. “I’m so sorry, honey. I’m sorry to tell you this, but Willam’s not in love with you. He’s married.”

“He’s – what? Alaska, you can’t be serious. Please tell me you’re joking. Why are you doing this to me?”

Courtney wanted to run. She wanted to push past Alaska and get out of the building, grab the first cab that arrived, and then go straight to Willam’s apartment. All of this had to be a huge misunderstanding, a cruel joke, and he’d explain. Willam would explain and say that she’s his little princess, his sunshine, the most beautiful girl at the party.

There was one problem though: she had never visited Willam’s house. She didn’t know his address.

The only thing she could do was sit, petrified, watching Alaska browse Facebook on her phone to finally show Courtney a profile of a man, late forties, his surname the same as Willam’s, and only two photos in his gallery: one on which Willam was kissing him on the cheek, and the other one where the mystery man and Willam were walking a giant dog, holding hands.

Courtney wanted to scream. She barely heard Alaska’s “Sorry, I’m so sorry, he’s a bastard and a scumbag for hurting you,” as tears filled her eyes and her palms clenched into fists, banging against the stall walls.

***

Bianca sighed. It was her fourth and last party of the day, and she was sick and tired. It was only her third day in Paris, but everything about the city annoyed her: the small talk, the endless cheek kissing, the rude waiters who pretended not to understand English… not to mention, no matter how nice her hotel was, nothing was as good as her memory foam mattress. She was tired and cranky and irritable and wished Adore was there so that she could taunt her and spread the misery around, but her sister was off having the best sex of her life with Pearl Liaison of all people if Bianca could believe the text messages Adore had been sending her.

Bianca smiled when she spotted Miss Fame in the corner, dressed in cream and ivory from head to toe. Her eyes lit up and she grinned deviously, striding up to her old friend.

A foot away from Miss Fame, Bianca “stumbled” and pretended to spill red wine down the back of Fame’s dress.

“Oh no!” she cried. “Your dress, it’s ruined! I’m so sorry!”

Fame gasped and looked up at Bianca with eyes blazing, clenching her teeth to bite back the rage that was growing in her. It was an accident, so she should be polite even if Bianca had just ruined a Prada suit.

Bianca had wanted to keep the ruse going a little longer, but she couldn’t keep a straight face and burst out laughing, patting Miss Fame on the shoulder.

“Sorry Fame, I’m totally fucking with you. Nothing spilled.” Bianca wiped the tears from her eyes.

Fame smiled tightly, still annoyed at Bianca. “Such a comedian. How are you?”

They leaned in to greet each other properly and Bianca gave Fame the exaggerated European-style air kisses.

“I’m in hell. I miss my bed and my dogs and this season looks boring as fuck. Present company excluded, of course.”

“Of course.”

“How about you? How’s the harem?”

Fame laughed. “Vulgar as always, Bianca.”

“Says the woman with a sex dungeon. Hey, why don’t you lend me that weird little blonde Russian for the night? She’s hot and I’m bored of all these French cunts.”

“I’m not a PIMP, Bianca. And Katya’s engaged.”

Fame’s voice was scolding, but her eyes glittered with mischief. She would never admit it out loud, but she loved the way Bianca teased her.

“Pity,” Bianca said, sipping her drink and winking.

Miss Fame laughed again and then noticed Patrick waving to her from across the room, trying to get her attention. “I better go see what my husband wants. Nice to see you, and thanks for the heart attack.”

Bianca accepted Miss Fame’s tight hug. “Whatever. Thanks for being useless as always. Love you.”

Miss Fame giggled, releasing Bianca and waving flirtatiously as she walked away.

 


	10. Chapter 10

“Violet, get me my schedule for tomorrow, Olivier Rousteing wants to know if I’ll be available for brunch.”

“Your mom is available for brunch.”

“… Violet, are you drunk?”

***

Sutan couldn’t believe this was happening. Fame had called him an hour earlier, telling him to come pick up Violet. Sutan had assumed she had gotten hurt so he had raced to the party Violet and Fame were at, throwing 30 euro at the taxi driver, not even waiting for change.

The last thing he had expected however, was to find a Violet who was so drunk she could barely walk, needing Fame to hold onto her to stand up. In the cab home, the two of them were making sure that Violet stayed awake, Sutan holding a bottle of water to Violet’s lips, trying to keep her focus on him and get her sobered up. Fame explained that Violet had accidentally thought the punch at the party was a non-alcoholic drink, which was how she had gotten to the stage she was in now.

Violet giggled as she tried to open the door for the third time, her hand slipping again.

“Here, let me help you baby.” Sutan leaned against Violet’s back, a tired smile on his lips as he guided her hand, the two of them they getting the door to their room open together, Violet stumbling inside.

“Thank you…” Violet hiccupped, a smile on her face as she tried to get out of her jacket, but she couldn’t even get her zipper to work.

“It’s okay baby, come on, we’re going to get you into bed, okay?”

Sutan just smiled, helping Violet out of her jacket as the other squirmed, her hands going for his belt again and again.

“Violet, stop it, you’re really drunk.”

“But I want you… I want you real bad.” Violet pouted and looked up at Sutan, her eyes half lidded. “Sex with you feels so good, it’s good all the time and I like it.”

Sutan took a deep breath, not about to take advantage of the girl in front of him, even as she practically begged him to have sex with her.

“Sit down baby.”

“You’re such a meanie..” Violet sat down on the bed, holding her feet out so Sutan could undo the buckles on her shoes.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this drunk before.” Sutan looked up at Violet, a smile on his face. “It’s cute.”

“I’m fiiiine.”

Sutan laughed, he had already checked that Violet was responding to him, that her eyes could follow his finger and she hadn’t seemed like she was about to throw up even once.

“Sutan?”

“Yes baby?”

“I… I really wanna. I want to try… I want you to eat me out… Please?”

Sutan snapped to attention immediately, his eyes searching Violet’s face for any indication that she wasn’t being completely serious.

“What?”

“I want… I want to try it; I want you to do it.”

Violet looked so small, so vulnerable, that Sutan couldn’t do anything else but place a sweet and gentle kiss on her knee, his hands reaching up underneath Violets skirt, pulling down her panties as he leaned up to kiss her.

“Of course baby.”

Sutan smiled, looking into Violets eyes.

“Say the word and I’ll stop, if you get scared, or you feel uncomfortable, if anything at all happens, just tell me.”

“Okay…” Violet smiled, letting Sutan guide her down into the soft pillows of the bed. Violet was blushing heavily, her breath already coming out in short gasps as she couldn’t actually believe what was happening. Sutan’s hands, his lips, his scent was everywhere.

Sutan pushed her knees apart with gentle hands as he settled in between them, pressing a sweet kiss at the mouth of Violets cunt, a smile dancing on his lips as he felt how silky smooth she was.

After covering her with light kisses, Sutan started to lick her slit from bottom to top, again and again, the movement making Violet’s chest tighten with anticipation. It felt good, it really did, but it was only a tease, Sutans tongue feeling a little weird, very pleasant, but it wasn’t real pleasure, not like when he was buried deep inside her, fucking her so hard so could barely breath. Violet closed her eyes, collecting all her courage as she spread her legs a little further apart, her hand finding Sutan’s hair, desperately hoping he would take the hint, and oh, oh he did.

Violet could feel the warm huffs of air against her skin as Sutan laughed, but instead of being embarrassed, she couldn’t do anything but moan as he went for her clit, his tongue swirling over the hood, and then under it, licking at her most sensitive place.  
Violet curled in on herself, the intense burst of sensation so unlike anything she had ever felt before, everything sharply focused on one small point on her body, making her feel like she was on fire, she didn’t know whether to pull away or start begging for more.

Thankfully, it was as if Sutan could read her mind, knowing exactly how to work her body when Violet could barely string words together. Sutan eased off her, paying attention to the rest her, toying with her, his tongue returning to her clit frequently, keeping her on her toes. Violet gasped as Sutan pressed two fingers into her, giving her something to grind down into, giving her something to clench onto and to ground her.   
Violet could feel the faint vibrations of Sutans moans, and it made warmth curl in her belly, how could she have denied him for so long when he so obviously enjoyed this? She tightened her hand in his hair, earning another pleased sound as she gasped herself, the knowledge that Sutan found this hot, found her hot, made it all that much better.

Soon, Violet lost herself to just feeling, her eyes closed as her pleasure built, her entire body growing hotter and hotter, her desperate sounds making Sutan go at her even harder, his fingers fucking into her as he flicked his tongue over her clit again and again.

Violet was gasping for air, she knew she was going to come, but she couldn’t form the words, couldn’t tell Sutan what was happening. It was as if he was trying to pull her orgasm from her very core, as if he was trying to destroy her with pleasure. Her entire body was singing with the overwhelming sensations, but it was a broken little moan from Sutan, the knowledge that he was the one doing this to her, that he enjoyed it as much as she did, that made her come harder than she ever had before in her life.

***

“Fuck, no, please, Pearl, I can’t, I can’t take anymor- Ah!”

Pearl looked up from her place between Adores legs, a smile on her face, her chin covered with Adore’s juices.

“Come on, one more, you have one more in you.”

“I’ve already orgasmed four times bitch, if I come again I’m going to dry out and die and that is not the mermaid life!.”

Pearl sighed but got up anyway, dumping down next to Adore on the mattress, her hair collected in a messy bun on top of her head, laughing a little as she saw the drink stains on Adore’s white shirt. The two girls had met up at a rave where Pearl had been working on a street style story for their website, Adore partying with her new friends. She had even dyed her hair bright blue to fit into the Parisian crowd more. The two girls had spent the last two nights together, Pearl doing what she always did whenever something was too hard to deal with, which was fucking the pain away with the first girl who as much as glanced at her.

“I like the change, you and Courtney makes quite the pair.”

“Shut up.” Adore was just about to get her breath back, the two girls laying in silence in Adore’s bed, Pearl drawing lazily circles on Adore’s soft stomach.

“Hey Pearl?”

“Mmh..”

“So, I read online that if you have sex with the same person five times, you’re dating.”

“Mmh?”

“Do you wanna.. Maybe, you know, be my girlfriend?” Adore looked up at Pearl, all swollen lips from their earlier kissing, her big blue eyes filled with uncertainty. “Know what, nevermind, it’s stupid.”

“Sure.”

“Sure?”

“Sure.”

“Really? Oh my god I can believe it! Or, whateves, it’s cool, we’re cool.”

Pearl laughed, Adores silly faces and her ditzy personality easily distracting her from the serious, dark haired girl who haunted her thoughts. Adore would be fun to play with, for now, and who didn’t like new and shiny things.

***  
  
“What do you have to say in your defense?”

A big man stood in front of Katya, she couldn’t recognize his face or his voice as he was wearing a mask. She couldn’t recognize the room she was in, she couldn’t move as she was tied into a chair, the chains digging into her skin as she tried to get away.

Katya looked around, the faces of all the people she loved most in the world looking at her. Pearl and Fame, Violet and Max, all of the children from her class, even her grandmother was there, all of them watching her, judging her.

“I… I…”

“Are you trying to deny that you have been drinking?”

“I haven’t, I haven’t, I swear!” Katya searched for Trixie with her eyes, desperately trying to find him, to locate her rock, the man who loved her, no matter what, but instead of Trixie, all of Katya’s loved ones’ faces merged into mirrors, forcing her to see herself for who she really was.

Katya realized why her children had been looking at her in disgust, her clothes were covered in what smelled like alcohol and pee, her tights were torn, her makeup smeared all across her face, making her look like a parody of the joker, her hair was disgusting and chunks of vomit were collected in it.

“Please! Please, this isn’t, this isn’t me anymore! I promise!”

“Katya Zamolodchikova.” The man stepped towards her.

“You have been found guilty on the charges of being a disgusting, worthless human being, and for that you will be punished.”

The man reached up and removed his mask, revealing… Trixie, making Katya burst into tears.

“Trix, please, please don’t do this to me! You love me! This isn’t who I am, not anymore!”

Katya was desperately fighting against her bonds now, trying to get free, if only she could get to Trixie she could explain, she could explain everything and he would hold her and kiss her again and they would be okay, but instead, Trixie only leaned forward, his face so close to hers that she could count the freckles on his nose.

“Please Trix.” Katya was sobbing now. “Please, I’m your wife.”

“Oh Katya, poor dumb little Katya, like anyone could ever love someone like you. Now drink up, it’s vodka, your favorite. Do svidaniya, bitch.”

Katya woke with a scream, her entire body covered in sweat, tears and snot streaming down her face.

***

Katya was like a doll in Trixie’s hands as he quickly undressed her, her spoiled pyjama bottoms and her shirt getting thrown into a corner of their hotel bathroom before Trixie helped Katya into the shower, the two of them standing under the spray together, silent tears still falling from Katya’s eyes, even if she had finally stopped shaking when she felt the hot water on her body, washing away the scent of urine and sweat.

Trixie had never seen Katya so scared before; she had nightmares, in fact she often had nightmares, but he couldn’t remember the last time she had wet the bed.

Katya finally, finally, finally stopped crying altogether while Trixie was washing her, the hot water and the lemony body scrub removing the last traces of her dream from her body. They could hear the staff of the hotel out in their main room changing their sheets as Trixie had called them right before he got Katya into the bathroom.

“I’m… I’m sorry.”

Trixie looked down at Katya. She looked so small with her wet hair and her red eyes, her shoulders slumped as she was fighting against her exhausted body to stay awake.

“You don’t have to apologize for anything, stuff like this happens. Remember when I shat myself because I ate that donut that had been sitting on my office desk for two weeks and you used your lunch break to bring me a new pair of pants?” Trixie smiled as Katya snorted, but that story usually made her double over in laughter.

“Katya, are you okay?”

“No…” Katya’s voice was so small Trixie barely heard it over the sound of the water, but as soon as Katya had said the word, she started crying again.

“No?” Trixie felt panic creep into his body, but he pushed it down, he had to be there for Katya, and in that moment he made a decision.

“I’m going home with you tomorrow.”

“What?!” Katya looked up at Trixie. “No, no, you can’t, it’s only Monday, Trix, this is Pari-”

“I’m going home with you tomorrow. Fame will understand.”

“Fame is your bos-”

“Fame loves you, and I’m coming with you, end of discussion.”

Katya smiled through her tears as she wrapped her arms around Trixie, the two of them standing together until the water turned cold.

***  
  
“Amrull speaking.”

Violet cracked an eye open, seeing Sutan talking on his phone. She smiled a little as she wrapped her blankets a little tighter around her body, draping herself over Sutan’s chest. His skin was always so deliciously warm and this morning was no exception.

“It’s 5:30, what do you think? No, no, she’s here. Yes, you can talk to her.”

Sutan nudged Violet, giving her the phone.

“It’s for you.”

“Hello?”

“Good morning, Violet.”

Violet bolted, sitting upright in the bed the moment she heard Fame’s voice.

“Miss, I am so, so sorry, it was an accident and it will never happen agai-”

“Save your excuse for someone else. I need you to cover Trixie’s shows and his appearances for the rest of the week.”

“… What?”

“Trixie is going back to New York with Katya, I need you to cover his shows on top of your usual obligations.”

“But Miss, I don’t think I can, I don’t have any experience, what should I even look for?”

“Violet, how long have you been working as my assistant?”

“About a year and a half.”

“Then you have plenty of experience. Is this because you don’t want your promotion?”

“What? No! Miss, I want that more than anything in the entir-”

“Then take this opportunity and prove yourself. Show me why I was right to trust you. The company is counting on you, Violet. I expect you to be ready at 10 for the Olivier Rousteing brunch, unless you would prefer that my mother went instead?”

“No Miss, not at all.”

“Good, that’s all.”

Fame had hung up before Violet could probably process what the other woman had just said. Was she supposed to do Trixie’s work? Trixie who was head of design, who had years upon years of experience in his field, while she was without preparation of any kind, without any backup or team besides herself. Violet could feel her heart beating faster and faster, as panic tried to creep its way into her body, her thoughts swirling around in her head as she tried to make sense of everything, until an arm sneaked its way across her waist, gently pulling her down into the mattress again.

“Come back to bed, baby, it’s too early to be that worried, no crises before 8, it’s simply not allowed.”

Violet sighed, letting the weight of Sutan’s arm on her stomach ground her, her body slowly becoming relaxed once again before she turned and crawled into her usual spot with her head tucked into the space between Sutan’s shoulder and chin.

“Sutan?”

“Yes?” Sutan looked down, a smile on his face as he was playing with Violet’s hair, both of them starting to doze off in the peace and quiet of the dark hotel room.

“Did I have a really good sex dream last night, or did you… You know?”

Violet could feel the vibrations in Sutan’s chest as he laughed, a small smile on her face as she felt his lips on her temple.

“Did you like it?”

“Mmh…” Violet was silent for a few moments, before she propped herself up on her elbows, the two of them looking into each other’s eyes.

“Can we do it again?”

“That would be my pleasure, lovely eyes.”

***

The rushed text from Courtney smelled like trouble. “My house 9pm, be there”, no emojis, no pet names, nothing. Willam bought wine just in case he had something to apologize for and showed up at Courtney’s door 9 PM sharp.

He knocked, almost feeling his heart beating in his throat.

She yelled, “It’s open!” so he stepped in. Courtney was sitting on the couch, back straight, hands on knees, wearing the same dress she had on earlier today. Her face was a strange mixture of feelings Willam couldn’t name.

“Are you married?”

Willam’s face fell. “Who told you?”

“Does that matter? You fucking lied to me! You’re married, and you’re married TO A GUY! How – I don’t understand. What’s all this been to you? Who am I to you?” Courtney ran up to him, grabbing the bottle of wine he was holding on his hand, and throwing it against the corridor wall where it shattered with an awful noise. “I hate you, I hate you, I hate you!”

“Listen, Courtney, I – Courtney, baby, please – ”

“No! Shut up!” Courtney was aimlessly punching Willam’s chest with her fist, not really causing him any pain, while he tried to grab her and calm her down. “You just fucking used me! I trusted you, I trusted you with everything, I even let you in my boss’s – oh my God.”

Courtney let go of Willam’s jacket and crashed her entire body to the floor. “Oh my God. I left you alone in there. I left you. Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God.”

She was tearing at her pink hair, her eyes wide with realization, panic growing. Willam crouched next to her, trying to take her hand, but she recoiled. “I’m screwed, I’m screwed, I’m fucked. You’re gonna bury me, aren’t you?”

Willam’s stomach was turning with worry and guilt. He didn’t sign up for this. He didn’t. He had thought Pearl would be enough, his ticket into an easy promotion, a party girl who liked to drink. Willam had hoped to get Pearl drunk and ask her a few clever questions, getting a scoop that would catch his boss attention. That failed. Then there was Courtney, who was naive and easily swayed, and he hoped a few compliments here and there and a bunch of flowers would earn him the promotion. That failed, and now he was here with this girl whose life was in his hands.

He and Rhea had gone through the documents, smiles on their faces as they were drinking champagne Rhea had cracked open, but their wide smiles became lesser and lesser with every page they’ve read. Nothing of value was there, nothing that would shake up Galactica’s and Miss Fame’s stellar reputation. No dirty secrets, only pages upon pages of fabric samples and calendar pages with no gossip whatsoever in there.

The only story Willam had now was the story of an assistant who let the journalist infiltrate the company. It might’ve been not good enough for him. It was definitely good enough to bury Courtney’s career.

Courtney’s sobs were growing louder and louder as the girl was sitting in a little bundle of misery on the floor of her apartment. Willam touched her arm again, softly, and she stopped to look at him, mascara smeared everywhere.

Willam wasn’t sure, but that might’ve been the hardest decision he ever made.

“Court. Listen to me. I got nothing, okay? I got nothing. I’m not gonna publish anything. I swear.”

“Why would I believe you?! You’ve been lying to me all this time, Willam! Sleeping with me while you’re married just to get some information out of me! Why would I believe a lying scumbag like you, huh?”

Willam took a deep breath. “Because I’ll delete all the pictures I took. Right now.”

Courtney looked like she gave up on breathing. Her eyes were burning a hole in Willam’s skull, making his guts twist painfully. He took out his phone and opened the camera roll, highlighting all 53 pictures he took at Galactica earlier today, and picking “Delete”. They were all gone. Willam felt Courtney’s fingers close around his wrist.

“How can I be sure you didn’t make copies?”

“You can’t.”

That was it. That was the end of the attempt, the end of this fucked-up ride, the end of spending mornings in Starbucks lines for Courtney’s favorite Iced Caramel Frappe and at the florist’s, picking out roses that matched her hair. That was it, and it was ending with 53 deleted pictures and a pool of red wine and glass in the hallway.

He was never going to make it anyway.

“I’m sorry, Courtney. I’m so sorry.”

“Get the hell out of my house.”

“Okay, okay, I’m just – can you…”

“No!” Courtney was pure fury, scrambling from the floor to attack him with fists again, so he ran to the door, locking it behind himself, hearing something heavy, like a shoe, bounce against the door on the other side.

Now Willam was the one who was screwed.

***

“Ha, ha, ha,” Violet was running; her pace matching the beat of her music perfectly as she crossed 7 miles. Whenever she slowed down, even a little, she could feel the prickle of discomfort in her body. The prickles of pain were the only sensations that was helping her keeping the panic at bay was to push her body to the very edge of her limits. It was only the third day of her insane new schedule; she had been running from show to show, her trusty pair of running shoes in her bag as she bounced between the roles of personal assistant, friend, whatever she was to Sutan, and now also someone who had to pretend to be a designer. She could do this, she would make it through this hell week, because she had to. Failure wasn’t an option.

***  
  
Bianca tossed in bed fitfully. The small woman was trying to sleep in, but unable to get comfortable until her baby sister Adore burst through the door.

“B! Are you awake?” Adore cried happily.

Irritated, Bianca pushed her sleep mask up off of her eyes and glared at her little sister. “I am now, asshole.”

Adore giggled and hopped onto the bed, flopping down beside her. “Awww, was the little princess getting her beauty rest?”

“Fuck you. I’m no damn princess. I’m the goddamn queen.”

Adore laughed again and snuggled into her sister’s side. “You’re so grumpy today.”

Bianca rolled her eyes. “I’m always grumpy. Why are you so happy? It’s irritating as fuck at any time of day, but especially before 10am.”

Adore nuzzled her dimpled cheek and sang; “III’ve got a giiiiirlfriend.”

Bianca sat up. “Oh really?” This news was more important than sleep for the moment.

Adore closed her eyes and stretched, “Mmmmhmmm…and she’s fucking sexy. And–”

“Adore. Please tell me you met some random French bitch. Please tell me this alleged girlfriend isn’t Pearl. Por favor Adoracion,“ pleaded Bianca as she sat up.

Adore grinned smugly. “It’s Pearl.”

“Fuck,” Bianca groaned.

“Awww, you jealous, B? I know you like hot blondes.”

“Of you? No. Honey, what did she actually say? Like did she say ‘be my girlfriend’? Or ‘I want to be exclusive with you?’”

“No. I asked her… And then I thought maybe she’d think I was needy so I said I was kidding. But she said sure! Isn’t that so romantic?” Adore sighed blissfully, not at all catching onto her sister’s warnings.

“Adore. Listen to me. You need to RUN from this girl. She’s fucking trouble. She’s going to destroy you.”

Adore finally snapped out of her love-struck daze, glaring up at Bianca. “Fuck you, B! You don’t even know her!”

Bianca chuckles wryly. “Believe me, I do. I do know her, honey. I WAS her.”

“Yeah, well, maybe you were a cunt who broke people’s hearts–”

“Still am, to be honest–”

“But Pearl cares about me!”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake. I’m trying to protect you–”

“I don’t need your protection! I’m a fucking grown-up.”

“You’re right, Adore. You’re a grown-up.” She rolls her eyes. “I’ll be sure to remember this conversation when she cheats on you, or blows you off, or–”

Adore leapt up from the bed, eyes blazing with fury. “You are the WORST! Do us both a favor and stay out of my love life!” She stormed out of Bianca’s room, slamming the door behind her in a self-righteous rage.

Bianca sighed, falling back against the pillows, making a mental note to stock her freezer with Adore’s favorite ice cream for when this doomed relationship ran its course.

“Aye dios mio,” groaned Bianca as she pulled her eye mask back down and settled back into her mountain of pillows. “I’m too old for this shit.”

***

“Is that a cinnamon bun? And coffee! Oh Mimi you are an angel!“

Sutan grabbed both items, a giant smile on his face, as he started tearing into the treat while hanging out the window with a cigarette between his lips.

“This is exactly what I needed!” groaned Sutan as he lit and took a deep drag from his long desired cigarette. He had spent so much time with Violet during their week in Paris he had barely had time to sneak away to smoke. Today she was at shows all day, so he was using every opportunity he could have to get in a few drags. “This is the sexiest thing I’ve seen since last night, if you know what I mean.” Sutan laughed and wriggled his brows.

Mimi sighed, exasperated which only made Sutan laugh again. “What are you doing?” Mimi walked over to Sutan, standing beside him as he was practically hanging out the hotel window.

“Pretending I’m not a smoker, and yes Mimi, I do realize that I’m a 41 year old man hiding like a school boy. But Violet doesn’t like it and I really don’t want to disappoint her.” Sutan sighed as he let out a cloud of smoke.

“Are you serious? Are you hiding the fact that you smoke from some random under 30-something, like it’s a dirty magazine from your parents?” asked Mimi incredulously.

“I really like her Mimi what can I say,” answered Sutan simply, completely missing the mixed look of disgust and annoyance that flashed across Mimi’s face. “And besides, she doesn’t ask much from me, so the least I can do is not smoke around her, she has a really good nose,” he finished with a fond smile.

“Whatever you say, but lying to her about it isn’t cool,” said Mimi with a shrug of indifference.

“True… but I just can’t give them up yet.” He replied as he took another deep drag from his cigarette and flicked the ashes away before taking a sip of his hot coffee. “Are you ready to get today’s work done?”

“Whatever you need from me, I’m willing and able.” Mimi answered with a smile.

***

“Hey Carmen,” greeted Raven as she sat down at her dressing area next to Carmen’s while she took off her sunglasses and jacket.

“Hello,” Carmen replied blandly while looking over her looks for the show.

“Oh don’t be like that, I’m trying to play nice,” sighed Raven who rolled her eyes at the older woman’s unnecessary attitude against her.

“You can’t fool everyone all the time Raven, I got my eyes on you,” said Carmen who looked at Raven and snarled, “You think you’re so beautiful and so talented, but I know you.”

“Oh really? You know me? Please do tell me, about me, from some bullshit you heard from hating ass females who have nothing to say to me directly whenever I come through and slay the scene,” replied Raven who paused and took a sip from the champagne she had been given by one of the assistants when she came in. “But clearly, you must be intimidated by me because you have all this mouth backstage but when it comes to getting covers, 9 or more page spreads, being a muse to one of the most iconic fashion houses from Italia, being one of the original faces for several brands and I still look virtually the same way I did when I began. You have all that attitude and attention towards my life and what I’m doing, that your own career is flat lining as I speak.” Raven couldn’t help it, whenever she became upset or annoyed she instantly became the fierce and bitchy girl she had been for the first few years of her time in America.

“Bitch you think that just because you slept your way to the top that you’re "somebody” now. Don’t think I don’t know that little fact you cheap Russian import,“ replied Carmen with a sneer as she drank some water after pulling her hair out of her face to get ready for hair and makeup.

"Cheap? Never. Russian import however? That I am,” said Raven as she pulled out her phone to take a pre-show selfie. “But if that’s all you got, then you must be desperately clawing for relevance outside fashion week.”

“Excuse me Ms. Petruschin, but Mr. Lagerfeld would like to run through the closing of the show with you before you get dressed and ready,” said a young assistant who walked up to the two models.

“Thank you, tell him that I will be right there,” replied Raven with a dazzling smile to the young man before he walked away. “Well I guess this cheap Russian import is needed to run through the end of the show with the designer personally. I guess the cheap look is in; and broke, busted and disgusted is out,” She finished before standing up and grabbing her bag.

“Kisses…bitch,” as she strutted away never looking back at Carmen.

***

Fame woke up with a gasp. Everything was completely dark around her and she couldn’t really sense where she was until she felt a hand take hers and nails scratch the inside of her hand.

“Did you have a nightmare?” Pearl smiled, the two of them were sitting together at the plane on the way back to America. Everyone else had already taken an earlier flight, so Pearl and Fame where the last of the Galactica staff headed home. Fame didn’t like flying much and always took a night flight because of it so she could sleep on the way.

“No… No, I don’t think so.”

They were well over the Atlantic, so Pearl’s voice was hushed, the two woman sitting closely together, their hands still intertwined as Fame started to calm down, Pearl’s presence making it slightly easier for her to bear that she was essentially trapped in a giant metal deathtrap. Fame took a deep breath and leaned back in her chair.

“This last week has gone by so fast…”

“You don’t say, Paris is always chaotic.”

“But perfect.” Fame smiled.

“Always perfect.” Pearl laughed.

Fame closed her eyes again, her mind slowly drifting back to the last week, back to all the shows, to the news of Katya and Trixie’s engagement, to the near endless parade of parties and receptions she had attended and her aching feet from all the high heels she wore.

“I can’t wait to get home and spend a long weekend with Patrick in New Jersey.”

“You’re going to your summer house? Do you miss your chickens?”

Fame smiled at Pearl’s sass, the other woman answering back with a shit eating grin.

“Don’t laugh Pearl, you know I need it to de-stress.”

Fame and Patrick had a small farm upstate, that was tended to by a sweet elderly couple who took care of the animals and the grounds. Spending time in nature made Fame able to handle the stress of the city and the fashion world.

“Do you want to come Pearly?”

“I’d rather stab myself.”

Fame laughed, reaching up to tug on Pearl’s earlobe as a punishment for her disrespect.

“Bad girl, now tell me a bedtime story so I can fall asleep again.”

“Fine your majesty.” Before she softly cleared her throat to begin her story. “Once upon a time, there was a little boy named Kurtis who grew up on a farm and had a chicken named Henrietta…”

***  
  
“You guys are nauseating,” Max smiled. He was sitting in the kitchen, sipping a cup of tea as all of them ate breakfast together. It was a rare occasion, but when it happened, it was always perfect. “No one needs to sing about pouring milk.”

“I’m an amazing singasong writer!” Katya laughed, her and Trixie were sitting practically in each other’s laps, Katya grabbed the small piece of bread on Trixie’s plate, using both hands to make it into a puppet. “Here, I’ll perform something for you!” Katya smiled and began to sing, Trixie chiming in with drums on the table and the backup chorus.

“One, tasty English muffin, that is what I aaaaaaam!”

“Ba da da da da da.”

“One, tasty English muffin with some raspberry jaaaaaam.”

“Stop, stop, stop!” Pearl laughed, her hands over her ears. “Katya, I love you, but you can’t sing to save your life. Isn’t there some kind of rule about teachers and how they have to be able to sing?”

“I’m a great singer!”

“You sound like a man.”

“How dare you say that about my fiancée’s beautiful singing voice Pearl!”

“She does have a point.”

Trixie gasped dramatically. “Et tu Max, et tu?”

Violet and Katya’s eyes met over the table, and both of the girls started to giggle.

***

Sutan: Come over tonight, I haven’t seen you in forever :(

Violet: Can’t. Busy. Editors meeting tomorrow, working on presentation.

Sutan: I miss you.

Violet: I miss you too, I’ll call.

***

Max was fiddling with his camera. He and Jinkx were in his studio at Galactica. Jinkx had spent a long weekend in London with Max and his parents who instantly fell in love with his red haired best friend, Max’s mom and Jinkx hitting it off as they had spent the weekend baking, watching British daytime television and showing her around London. Max saw a red head of hair out of the corner of his eye, and he knew that his plan was now in motion.

“So, I have a surprise for you.” Max looked over at Jinkx as he wriggled his brows, clearly teasing.

“A surprise?” Jinkx sat up, she loved surprises, and most of all surprises from Max since he knew her so well.

“Mmh, and it’s going to come through the door in three, two, one.”

The door opened, and Ivy peeked in.

“Hey Max, Raja told me that you had called for me?” Ivy stepped into the room, a sweet smile on her face as she nervously tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

“Yes, Ivy, come in! I just got a new camera, and I need a model to test it out.”

“Oh… Sure!” Ivy smiled sweetly, quickly walking into the room, all traces of nervousness gone from her. “That’s what you do for a friend, isn’t it?” Ivy spotted Jinkx, who looked like she was about to faint. “Hey, you know Alaska, right?” Ivy held out her hand. “I’m Ivy Winters.”

“Jinkx Monsoon, you’re really pretty!”

Ivy laughed, obviously flattered at the words Jinkx had just blurted out. “Thank you Miss Monsoon.”

“Call me Jinkx.”

“With pleasure.”

***

“Violet!”

Violet turned around at the sound of Fame’s voice. She had just finished her presentation on the shows she had covered for Trixie, showing what trends she had spotted, what fabric and models that were in focus and if any parts of it could be used for the Galactica brand’s own lines or for their online stores.  
The meeting had taken well over three hours since there had been presentations from almost every editor and assistant since it was a wrapup of all four fashion weeks, and Violet was exhausted. She had spent the last two days working on her presentations at night, since she was still trying to tutor Courtney to become a proper assistant; it had been hard, but Courtney had been much more quiet and serious, which had been a blessing to Violet’s frazzled nerves.

“Yes Miss?”

Violet slid her smile into place, forcing her face to become the pleasant mask she knew Fame expected.

“You could have done a whole lot worse.” Fame smiled and Violet almost dropped her papers at the praise.

“Thank you Miss, I, I don’t know what to sa-”

“Then don’t.”

Violet nodded, her chest warm with Fame’s acknowledgement of her work as the two walked down the hall, Fame already firing off a list of demands for how the afternoon should happen.

***

“Yeeeees! High five!” Pearl smiled brightly as her and Adore high fived with both hands.

“You are rocking the mic girl!”

Adore smiled, clearly pleased at Pearls praise. The two were in Adores small apartment, playing rockband on her playstation since her roommates were out.  
“Thank you, you’re not too bad on the guitar either.”

Pearl dumped down on Adore’s bed, taking a swing of her beer as she started to flip through the different songs using her guitar as a controller.

“Uh, let’s do Living on a Prayer!” Adore laughed; she had dumped down next to Pearl, her own drink in hand.

“Think you can handle Bon Jovi?”

“Bitch, of course I can handle Bon Jovi, I’m a superstar!”

“Oh yeah? Prove it.” Pearl smirked and Adore laughed.

“It’s on.”

***

“Courtney, where are my files?”

“Right here!”

Courtney put on a smile, and quickly ran into Fame’s office, handing over the papers. Whenever she walked into Fame’s office, she felt guilt eat away at her; all she could think about was how stupid she bad been, how dumb it was of her to let Willam fuck her on that very desk that Fame was sitting at right now. Even more now that she knew that Willam hadn’t even liked her, that every look he had given her was a lie.

“This last week has been acceptable Courtney. You seem more serious and it suits you. Tell Violet that I want her out of my office before the end of November, preferably before, that’s all.”

“Yes!”

Courtney turned around to walk away.

“Oh, and Courtney.”

Courtney turned around, gulping as she saw the serious expression on Fame’s face.

“Don’t fuck it up.”

 


	11. Chapter 11

“Do you want another slice of pizza?” Adore looked over at Courtney, who was on her phone.

“No… I’m okay.”

“Are you sure?”

When Adore didn’t get a reply, she grabbed a piece of pizza herself instead. Courtney had been weird ever since Adore had gotten home from Paris, weird and grumpy and almost a little depressed.

“So… Are you coming to my sister’s party or not?”

“I don’t know.”

Adore and Courtney were sitting on the bathroom floor in Courtney’s small apartment once again, this time armed with a box of bleach and color reducer instead of their usual pots of Manic Panic.

“Come on, Court, Willam turned out to be a douche bag, but that doesn’t mean all guys are. Remember the football guy you used to go out with in out junior year? He was pretty cool!”

“Do you mean the guy who tried to spike my drink, or the guy who broke up with me after Christmas break when I had gained weight?”

Adore sighed at Courtney’s stubbornness; why couldn’t her friend see that she was only trying to make things better?

“Okay, I see your point, but not all men are like that! You’ll find someone, I promise.”

“No, I’m done with men, forever.”

Adore snorted, thinking Courtney was kidding, but then she caught a glimpse of the other’s face.

“… Wait, are you serious?!”

***

“Go to the bed.”

Katya smiled as Trixie scrambled to obey, like the sweet boy he was. No one else was home, and for that very reason, the toy chest from underneath their bed had come out to play.  
Katya caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror, and she couldn’t help but smile. She was all dolled up; her hair and makeup done by Trixie only an hour before when he had artfully curled her hair and carefully applied lipstick to her lips. Katya was wearing heels and a set of black lingerie that they only brought out whenever they played a very particular game. Katya had allowed Trixie to choose today, and he had picked a bright purple strap-on that was now nestled against Katya’s stomach.

Katya took a step toward where Trixie was laying on his back, and she could practically hear the sharp intake of breath, anticipation radiating off Trixie’s body.

“Did you lube yourself up for me, sweetheart?”

“Yes I did, I did what you asked me to-”

“Ssh.” Katya was now kneeling on the bed between Trixie’s spread legs; a smile on her lips as her hand gently glided over his soft stomach, dipping into his navel, onward to his puffy chest where she couldn’t help but play a little with his nipples. Trixie’s hips bucked a little at the sensation, sending his cock bouncing. He was already so hard, so filled with excitement about what Katya was about to do that he was practically dripping onto his own stomach, a small pool of precum collecting in the valleys on Trixie’s chubby middle.

“You look so good, all ready for me.”

Katya smiled as she gently pushed a manicured finger inside of Trixie; the passage was so smooth and easy that she added another one immediately, which made him whimper.

“Sssh, you’re being so good right now, let me play with you a little, let me feel my big, strong man, who always pleases me so well.”

Trixie nodded, his eyes scrunched shut as if it would be too overwhelming to see Katya’s fingers disappear into him.

“Turn around.”

Trixie nodded again, moving so fast Katya barely had time to get her fingers out before he was on his hands and knees. Katya couldn’t help but smile and lean down to give Trixie’s lower back a sweet kiss, the red lipstick she had worn for this scene leaving behind a perfect mark.

“Are you ready for me?”

Trixie didn’t answer her question with words, but with actions instead as he pushed back against her, a high whine leaving his throat, making Katya laugh.

“That’s my sweet boy, my sweet…” Katya pushed inside, her strap-on fitting perfectly into Trixie’s ass, “…amazing boy.”

Trixie moaned as she bottomed out inside of him, and it was the sexiest thing. Katya loved this, loved to take Trixie this way. She loved all of it, the control, the respect, the trust, the way Trixie gave everything over so completely as she set a rhythm, the amount of times they had done this together making it easy for Katya to circle her hips in just the right way to make Trixie shout with pleasure.

Katya snapped her hips faster and faster, her hand in the space between Trixie’s shoulders forcing him down as she took him and used him for her own pleasure. The constant pressure against her clit made Katya join in on Trixie’s moans with real sounds of her own pleasure. But it was not until she leaned down over Trixie, their bodies pressed together and the words “I love you” leaving her mouth that Trixie came all over the bed, his eyes seeing white as he shook apart underneath her.

When Trixie came back to, wrapped in Katya’s arms underneath their duvet, it was to the feeling of sweet kisses getting pecked onto the bald spots on his head. Trixie couldn’t help but smile, his chest warm with happiness as he looked up at Katya.

“I love you.”

“I love you too, sugar butt.”

***

“Do you ever have that feeling, like you’re a side character in someone else’s story?” Laganja looked up from her lunch, her and Alyssa sitting in the cafeteria with Kim Chi and Gia.

“No, why?” Laganja twirled a bit of her hair as she watched Kim Chi.

“No reason… Sometimes I just feel like there’s all this other stuff going on, and we’re never a part of it.”

“Know what, I feel like that too sometimes.”

“Me too.”

“Me three.”

***

“Hey, darling sister. I’m going through the guest list for Friday one last time. Am I lucky enough that you have broken up with Pearl yet, or should I assume that you’re bringing your douchebag girlfriend?”

“Hi Bianca, yes I’m doing well, yes I miss you too and no we’re not broken up. Fuck you for thinking so.”

“Ha!” Adore could hear Bianca laughing at her sass. “Whatever, bitch. I’m supporting this star-crossed lovers nonsense as long as you need me to. Pearl is staying on the guest list then.”

“Huh?”

“You’re so dumb.”

“Hey!”

“Sorry, sorry! I need you to promise me something though.”

“What?”

“That even though your date is that vile asshole, you’re still gonna bring your pink-haired friend. I really want to meet her.”

“Courtney?”

“Yes. Do you have any other friends that you have been yapping about for years? If you bring her, you don’t even need to get me a present. She’ll be enough. Besides, a girl only needS so many ‘World’s Greatest Sister’ mugs.”

“First of all, guess who is now not getting a present at all since someone clearly doesn’t appreciate my arts and crafts.”

“Noted. But where are we on your hot friend?”

“I don’t know… I mean, yeah, she’s coming. But B, she’s like all depressed from a really bad breakup, and besides that, she’s not gay.”

“It’s not like that, I only want to meet her.”

“Come on, we both know you’re lying. You asked if you could borrow my facebook so you could check out her pictures.”

“Know what, I hope you get hit by a bus, Adore.”

“Awww, I hope you drown in your whirlpool bath and leave me your entire estate.”

“See you Wednesday for dinner?”

“Wednesday it is.”

“I’m cutting you out of my will and leaving everything to the dogs.”

“I love you too, B.”

***

“I’m here, I’m here.” Violet quickly kissed Sutan on the cheek, careful not to leave a lipstick mark. “I know what you’re gonna say, and I know that I’m always late but this time it wasn’t my fault!”

“Come on lovely eyes, there is no need to be upset.”

Raja, Raven and Sutan were standing on a street corner. They had all agreed to go out for lunch, and as usual, Violet was the last one to arrive.

“No, I know, but this was genuinely not my fault!” Violet took a small step back, showing off her body to Sutan as well as Raja and Raven who were all watching her. “I was on my way up the stairs from the subway when this woman bumped into me and spilled her coffee all over me. Look at this huge stain!” Violet gestured down herself to where the delicate light cream fabric of her jacket was soaked through with coffee.

“Oh, honey!” Raven looked at Violet with sympathy in her eyes. “Why were you on the subway though?” Raven grabbed a tissue out of her bag, dabbing at the now brown/beige stain on the light fabric of the jacket. “Why didn’t you call a car or have Sutan pick you up?”

Sutan nodded in confirmation that he would have picked her up, which made Violet bite her lip and clench her fists a little inside her coat pockets. She had already tried to save the jacket, but it was too late.

“I didn’t think… I was already on my way here, I have been so swamped at work and I didn’t want to create any unnecessary hassle,” Violet replied, only barely hiding the fact that she was about to cry. She knew it was stupid, but the coat had been new and had been brought from an actual store which was not a luxury Violet allowed herself often. She had planned on being able to wear the soft white coat for several seasons, but now it seemed like it had barely made it through one.

“My poor dear, you have so much to learn,” chirped Raven as she finish trying to clean the spot as much as she could.

Sutan wrapped an arm around Violet, not caring that she practically stank of coffee, and his voice was low as he gave Violet’s temple a kiss.

“I’ll take care of this, so don’t worry. I’ll get your jacket dry cleaned, and if they can’t save it, I’ll get you a new one. Okay?” Violet looked up at Sutan, a small smile on her face.

“Okay.”

“Well, that settles it.” Raven smiled brightly, having heard the conversation between Violet and Sutan.

“Settles what?” Violet looked over at Raven, she couldn’t help but shiver a little in the brisk October air. She readjusted her coat to fit around her a little tighter, while still attempting to hide the coffee stain. Sutan had given her his handkerchief, and she used it now to dab at her eyes.

“The main reason we are meeting for lunch, even though it’s just 10am, silly!” Raven wrapped her arm around the smaller woman’s shoulders and steered Violet towards a parked black Mercedes Benz Maybach. “Shopping, of course!”

Raja was already being helped into the front seat by Sutan while Raven slid into the backseat. “I wanted to go shopping since we weren’t able to in Paris,” she finished with a smile.

“Oh… Well, that sounds like fun.” Violet smiled a little to Raven, even though she knew it didn’t seem genuine. Sutan helped Violet out of her coat, the two exchanging brief kisses as he was holding the door open for her before she stepped inside the comfortable and luxurious German vehicle.

“Yes!!” exclaimed Raven who was practically bouncing with delight in her seat as she shrugged out of her coat before putting on her seatbelt, not noticing Violet’s quiet mood.

“I thought to myself, is there a better way to spend the day than updating our wardrobes in one of the best cities for luxury shopping? I think not, uh; and even better, we don’t have to worry about having it shipped from overseas!”

“I don’t know if that’s such a good idea, Raven,” said Violet as she looked out the window into the predictable Manhattan traffic around them, thankful for the tinted windows of Sutan’s car.  
The city looked and felt so different from the inside of a private car.

“It is a splendid idea! I need to revamp my fall/winter wardrobe for the upcoming Gala season anyway and you need a new coat! Also, we go to the Alps every year and I need new winter gear for that… Although I’m not sure if we’re going this year,” Raven was happily chatting away until she turned to look at the front seat. “Hey Raj?”

“Yeah, baby?” Raja smiled, her expression soft as she turned around to get eye contact with Raven.

“Are we going to Switzerland this winter or the Caribbean? I really wanna get my glow on, but I also don’t want to worry about tan lines.” Violet couldn’t help but smile at the serious look on Raven’s face, the other woman was acting as if tanning was the most important subject in the world.

“I’m not sure; what are we doing this year, TanTan?” asked Raja who turned her head to look at her brother.

“Caribbean would’ve been nice, Rave, but I wanted us to stay “local” this year so I booked a week in Aspen and then a long weekend in California,“ he answered while navigating the large vehicle in and out of traffic. “But we may be going back home to Indonesia for a week or two in the spring…I’m not sure yet. Our mom has been talking about how much she misses taking us to Bali, but who knows, we might end up in Jakarta as well.”

"Well, that’s good enough for me.” Raven smiled and Violet couldn’t help it either. Raven was amazing, but who could not be happy with a trip like that? Violet knew she wasn’t invited and she was okay with it but it still stung a little to hear them all discuss their vacation so freely while she was right there in the car.

“We’ll just get some summer stuff and winter stuff while we’re out! It’s going to be such fun!” Raven said with a large smile, her mind already gone into her own little shopping paradise.

“I can’t wait.” Violet replied with a small smile at the happy woman.

***

“Oh, Violet, isn’t this absolutely darling?” Raven smiled and pointed to a pastel confection that was a large pink Lady Dior bag display. The group was walking around inside of Barney’s, Sutan’s jacket wrapped around Violet’s shoulders so she wouldn’t be cold.

“Yes, it is quite nice.” Violet smiled. “The pink one would be perfect for spring, but I believe they come in other more standard colors as well if that is more your style,” replied Violet easily as she turned to see the bag Raven was pointing to.

“Rajie, baby?” Raven questioned as she stopped and turned to her fiancée who was standing and texting on her phone, leaning against her twin casually.

“Mmm.”

“I want 5 Dior bags.”

“Okay.” Raja didn’t even look up from her phone as she replied. “Will they have champagne though? I’m thirsty.“

"For me, they better,” Raven said with finality and a smile before turning back to Violet. “Well, that settles it, Dior bags here we come!” she said with a giggle as she grabbed Violet’s hand and pulled her over to the display and the shop assistants.

“Hey Tantan?”

“Mmm?”

"Did you know that Christian Louboutin is coming out with more colors in his lipstick line?”

Raja linked arms with her brother as she followed Raven and Violet.

“Really? I’ll have to check that out. I wonder if they’ll have nail polish to match…”

“Yes, I know right?” mumbled Raja as she sent off an email. “And I think they said they were, Alaska mentioned something about it, but I can find out if you want me to. You’ll gift them to me for my birthday right? As a full set with lippys and polish to match?” she asked, looking up at him as they walked into the shop.

“If that’s what you want.”

Raja laughed. “I love you too.”

***

“Katya, do I have to go to this party?” Trixie was standing in front of the mirror in their room, sucking in his stomach as he was dressed in a suit that would have fit a lot better a few pounds ago.

“Yes.”

“But I don’t want to…” Trixie turned around and looked over at Katya who was sitting at the window with a hand held mirror, doing her lipstick.

“Well, tough luck.” Katya smiled a little. “Everyone is going and so are you; it’s important to Fame that we’re there. I even got a new dress. Violet helped me finish it last night.”

“Fine.” Trixie crossed his arms, which made a button on his shirt pop open. Katya laughed and got up from her place, her fingers gently closing Trixie’s shirt once again.

“If you behave, we can get McDonalds on the way home.”

“Then what are we waiting for?”

***

Adore walked into Bianca’s party, feeling like a million bucks. Everyone that was anyone and even some who were nothing were there, and Adore knew she looked better than all of them with her blue hair, her pouty red lips, \her short black leather dress, fishnets, and best of all… Pearl, the sexiest fucking goddess she’d ever seen in her life at her side.

She hung on Pearl’s arm like a dainty little Disney princess, enjoying the jealous looks she got; knowing that everyone at the party wanted to be in her place. She even got a glimpse of several of Pearl’s so-called roommates who were clearly all in love with her girl, but Adore didn’t care. Pearl was here with her and only her. Pearl glanced at her every few seconds with a smug grin on her face, like the cat that just ate the canary. Well, if the canary was Adore’s pussy. Which would mean the cat was… Well whatever, Adore wasn’t an English scholar. She was in love.

The only thing that sucked was that Courtney looked so fucking miserable. Courtney had arrived with them, and even though she was at the coolest party in Manhattan, she didn’t look happy at all. She had gone back to blonde and from the look of it, hadn’t eaten or gone outside in about forever. Her normal golden tan had faded into a sickly pallor, and the blue dress that Ivy had styled her in was beautiful, but it hung on her tiny frame in a way that made her look like a little kid playing dress up. Adore reached behind her to squeeze her hand, getting a grateful smile in return from her best friend.

Pearl was suddenly swept away by 3 giggling socialites who wanted to fill her in on the parties she’d missed while she was in Europe.

“I’ll catch up with you in a bit!” she said to Adore, who pouted cutely and kissed her on the cheek, intentionally branding her with a giant red lipstick mark before she sauntered away, pulling Courtney along with her.

“Come on, that’s my sister over by the bar. I wanna introduce you.”

“Okay,” Courtney replied with as much enthusiasm as she could muster.

“B!” Adore shouted. “Happy birthday!!”

“Thanks!” Bianca responded, sliding a few shots down the bar to her sister and looking Courtney up and down. Was this the glowing pink-haired girl she’d seen with Fame at the Fashion show?

“What’s in this?” asked Adore, her nose crinkling as looked at Bianca. ”Tequila makes Courtney throw up.”

“It’s a lemon drop. You’ll love it. It’s sweet.”

Adore put her arm around Courtney. “B, this is my best friend, Courtney. Who you’d have met already if you actually ever came to my shows. Or, you know, took a general interest in my life.”

“Hi, Courtney,” Bianca said, “If you hang out with my sister, you must have very questionable taste. Although that dress is cute, so maybe there’s hope for you yet.” Bianca smiled, hoping the other girl would catch her gentle attempt at flirting.

“It’s a loaner,” Courtney replied flatly in a dry Aussie accent, causing Bianca to throw back her head and laugh.

“Touché,” she said, and held up her glass. ’‘Cheers!”

“Happy birthday,” Courtney toasted, and they all downed the shots.

Adore, who’d been keeping one eye on Pearl the whole time, noticed the tall blonde beckoning her over from the far side of the room. She excused herself and scampered away.

Courtney smoothed down the skirt of the blue lace dress, hoping that nothing would spill on it, since it was probably worth more than her entire salary for the year. Ivy would most likely forgive her, but ever since Fame had announced that Violet would move on to design soon, her life had been worse than ever.

“So… You work for Fame, right?” Bianca asked.

Courtney looked back up, mildly surprised that Bianca was still talking to her now that Adore was gone.

“Uh, yeah.” Courtney pushed a little of her hair behind her ear. “I’ve been working at Galactica for a few months now...”

“Man, I love her, but what a fucking diva. And that assistant, the brunette? I have never seen a stick shoved so far up someone’s ass.”

In spite of her miserable mood, Courtney let out a wry chuckle. “She’s not so bad, as long as you… You know… Do everything perfectly, or actually. She is that bad. She yelled at me for 10 minutes the other day because I dropped my diet Coke into the keyboard of my computer, but it’s not like I did it on purpose.”

Bianca cackled. “So what happened to your pink hair?”

“My… Wait, you saw that?”

“Yeah, at Fashion Week. It was cute. Did that tyrannical cunt make you dye it back?”

Courtney sighed. “No, I just…I dunno…the person who liked it the most turned out to be…well, he wasn’t who I thought he was.”

Bianca studied her delicate face, the green eyes that looked close to spilling over with tears, the faraway look, the way her hands nervously smoothed and toyed with the folds of her dress. She’d been planning to seduce this hot little friend of her sister’s from the second Adore told her that Courtney was coming, and figured the rough break-up would make it a sure thing, but now…seeing her looking like a lost little girl, she thought better of it.

“So, either that’s the best fake Australian accent I ever heard, or you’re not from around here. Do you have any family nearby?”

“No…” Courtney shook her head and accepted the drink that Bianca handed to her.

“No tequila, I promise,” Bianca grinned. “Well anyway, maybe you could spend Thanksgiving with Adore and I?”

“Really? You mean it?” Courtney’s big eyes were soft.

“Yeah, of course! I mean, I know it’s basically a celebration of American hypocrisy, since we killed all those Indians a few years later, but it’s nice to try and be grateful. Even a hateful cunt like me likes to count my blessings once in while. What do you think?”

Courtney smiled for the first time all night. “I would love that. Thanks.”

Bianca clinked glasses with her.

Adore scampered back over to them with Pearl on her arm.

“Bianca, this is my girlfriend Pearl. Pearl, this is my sister, the devil in a boatneck dress that I’ve been telling you about.” She grinned.

“Hey Bianca.” Pearl let her eyes slowly drift down Bianca’s body which was not bad for a 40 year old, and said, “Nice shoes.” Pearl looked back up at her face, giving one of her signature sexy half-smiles.

Bianca laughed. “Nice try, bitch, but I was you before you finished pre-school.”

Pearl giggled and slung her arm around Courtney. “Right, right. And fFrom what I’ve heard, Bianca, this one is more of your type anyway. Young, innocent, fresh as a daisy. Has she been working you over, Court?”

Courtney’s brow wrinkled in confusion. These lesbians were exhausting. But at least they wouldn’t break her heart. “Nope. I guess I’m not hot enough for her with all these models around.” Courtney finished by giving Bianca a sassy wink and shrugging Pearl’s arm off.

Adore huffed under her breathrolled her eyes, slightly annoyed at all the attention her friend was getting. “Can we please go dance?” She batted her eyes at Pearl.

“Sure, baby,” said Pearl, “let’s just get some drinks first.” She turned back to Courtney. “Can I get you another one, princess?”

Courtney held up her nearly full cocktail. “Bianca just got me one.”

“Yeah,” said Bianca, “So back off, cunt.”

Pearl laughed and leaned against the bar. “I’ll bet she did.”

Bianca rolled her eyes at Courtney, shaking her head and grinning. Courtney smiled back, noticing her deep dimples for the first time, and the way her hair shone even in the dim light. Her cheeks felt a little hot. It was probably the alcohol though. She lowered her eyes, a little embarrassed.

***

“Staaaaaar maaaaan, waaaiting in the sky!” Violet hiccuped and then laughed, not caring that she was acting a complete fool as she danced with Raven, the two girls having fun on the dancefloor as they had gone to get drinks but got caught up in the beat, Violet singing along at the top of her lungs, missing half the words. Tonight had been amazing, Bianca’s birthday was everything Violet had dreamt about and because of it she hadn’t held back whenever any of her friends or Sutan had asked if she wanted a drink. Violet had even danced with Pearl which they hadn’t done since before the accident as they had started to call it.

“Raven!”

“Yes!” Raven looked at Violet, a large smile on her face.

“I have to go to the bathroom!” Violet giggled and handed Raven her drink, swaying slightly as she did so, holding onto Raven’s arm to keep herself steady.

“Okay! Can you go by yourself?” Raven asked as she effortlessly parted the crowd with a wave of her jeweled hand, making room so Violet could get through. “I can come with you if you can’t make it on your own!”

“Your mom can go by herself!”

Raven laughed at Violet’s sass, the other woman’s sense of humour plummeting faster than a plane with no working engines when she was drunk.

“I’ll be at the table, baby girl!”

Bianca’s party had slowly transformed from a proper New York reception into a party where an additional team of bouncers had to be brought in because everyone wanted to join.

Violet nodded, she placed her hands on Raven’s cheeks, and pulled the other woman in for a quick and sweet close-mouthed kiss.

“Give this to Sutan, okay?” Violet grabbed Raven’s free hand. “Promise me!”

“I promise, I promise!”

Raven laughed, and the two friends went their separate ways.

****

“Hey, you have something on your shoe.”

Violet was trying to close the door to the bathroom stall she had just been in, when a girl came up behind her, the other bending down and quickly removing the strip of toilet paper that was stuck to Violet’s Louboutin.

“Wow, thank you! I hadn’t even noticed, that would’ve been soo embarrassing.” Violet giggled and looked at the other girl.

“I’m Violet.”

“Chanel.”

The two girls went side by side to the sink, washing their hands. “So are you a guest, or are you a gate crasher like me?”

“I’m here with my boyfriend and his sister and her fiancée, and to be honest I don’t think his sister likes me very much… But it’s okay, because he likes me, which is good.”

“Your boyfriend?”

“Mmh.”

“Are you here with Sutan Amrull and Raja Gemini?”

“I am how did you know that?”

“I saw you with them. Are you sure you’re his girlfriend?”

Violet looked at the girl, the smile that graced her features disappearing quickly when she saw the other’s expression. “Who are you? How do you know him? Did you use to model for him?”

“Oh, no no no, he never sleeps with his models. I was a barista at the Starbucks near the old Elite headquarters. He would come in every day and get the same coffee and flirt with me. I thought we were falling in love but he was only using me! I got sucked into his world of fancy clothes and fast cars. He bought me things constantly.”

Violet could feel dread collect in her belly, while the fabric of the dress she was wearing was becoming more and more irritating against her skin. Sutan bought it for her less than a week ago. Maybe the new girl was right.

“I admit it, it was really good sex, like really good. But he is also the biggest asshole I have ever met and the biggest mistake I have ever made; no matter what he had promised you, it’s not real.” Chanel reached out and gripped Violet’s arm. “He is a liar and a cheat. If you’re really his girlfriend, why haven’t I ever seen you on his social media?”

Violet head was swimming. If she had been sober she would have zoomed in on how weird it was that the other girl was following a man she supposedly hated.

“Why do you think Jinkx Monsoon hates him? Why do you think he’s over 40 and unmarried? It’s because he’s dirt, Violet. He hasno heart, none of them do, he treated me like dirt and made me feel worthless. He cheated on me right from the start!”

“Why are you telling me this?”

“Because you deserve better, and you know it’s true! It happened to me and it has happened to every other girl he has ever been with.”

“Chanel… He, he’s changed. He likes me, he might even.. I think, he loves me, and I love him.”

“Once a cheater, always a cheater. Think Violet, think. You know who he really is. He might pretend, but I promise you, he hasn’t changed.”

“I... I have to go...”

***

Raven was standing against one of the walls; she had taken a short break from dancing since the twins had disappeared outside to the balcony to have a quick smoke, sneaking away while Violet was in the bathroom.

“Rave!”

Raven looked up from her phone, and saw Violet walk towards her with a solemn expression on her face; so different from the happy girl she had seen off to the bathroom only moments before.

“Baby girl, what’s wrong?”

Violet shook her head, clearly not wanting to talk about it.

“Raven, remember how you told me you would do me a favor after I fixed your ankle?”

Violet wrapped her arms around herself, clearly uncomfortable with the situation.

“Of course I do, that’s when you and I became best friends.”

“I need to cash in that favor, no questions asked.”

“Violet, seriously, what’s wrong with you? Where is my happy girl?”

“Get my coat number from Sutan, I need to go home, and I need to go now.”

“Why don’t you just ask him?”

And then Violet did something Raven never anticipated. Violet started to cry.

“I can’t, Rave, I just can’t.” Violet tried to wipe her tears away, but they kept coming. “Are you going to help me or not? You promised me a favor and I need it now!”

“I am, baby girl, I am, wait here, okay? I’ll be right back.”

***  
Violet’s words were echoing through Raven’s head as she made her way out onto the balcony, smiling once in a while to the people who recognized her. Raven felt the cold night air against her face, the sounds of music disappearing as the hustle and bustle of New York streets became their background music instead.

“Hey Rajie, TanTan!” Raven couldn’t help but smile once she made eye contact with Raja, the other woman’s eyes gliding over her body, appreciating every curve.

“Hey, princess!” The words were slurred coming from Sutan, him draping an arm around Raja’s waist while turning to look at the Russian model.

“What’s up, baaaabe?” drawled Raja as she exhaled a stream of cigarette smoke before passing it back to Sutan.

“Violet is pretty drunk, so I’m going to take her back to her place so she can get some rest.” Raven couldn’t remember the last time she hadn’t told the truth to Raja, and the realization made her skin itch, a sensation she quickly drowned with Sutan’s drink.

“Hey, that was mine, Rave,” Sutan groaned and reached out for the drink, but Raven pulled away.

"No… You can get another, I am leaving with Violet,” she replied sharply.

“Awww, but you’re going to miss the party, baby.” Raja whined as she turned and pulled Raven to her harder than she anticipated, causing her to bump into the slightly shorter woman. Raja giggled and tried to kiss Raven, but Raven pulled away.

“Fucking lush,” mumbled Sutan whose chin rested on Raja’s shoulder so he could also look at Raven with slightly glazed eyes.

“Are you sure you wanna go, babe? The night is still young, and you love a good party!”

"Yeah… But Violet needs me to take her home, and I will not let her down.” Raven smiled before she held out her hand. “Can I please have her coat number?”

Sutan nodded, his hand already fishing for his wallet.

“Fine.” Raja sighed before straightening up to stand beside her brother, once more using him as a crutch as she swayed lightly to the music from inside.

“I want you and ViVi to be careful and text me when you get home. If I don’t come in around 4am, then I’m passed out at Sutan’s.” She finished with a sweet smile and a soft kiss to her fiancée’s forehead.

“Yes, text me too just in case Raja doesn’t check her phone,” added Sutan who pulled out his wallet and handed Raven several $50 bills as well as the ticket stub. “Here, for the cab, just in case. Are you sure I shouldn’t go with her?”

“Positive. Thanks, TanTan.” Raven took the money. “I’ll make sure we get home safe.” She finished as she turned from the older pair before she mumbled to herself, emptying Sutan’s drink, “And get to the bottom of this.”

****

“Okay, I’m back, we can go now Miss ‘No questions asked’.”

Raven had spotted Violet who was still standing right where Raven had left her, the same lost expression on her face.

“Thank you…” Violet replied softly as she held her hand out to get the ticket from Raven.  
“You don’t have to come with me, I can go by myself so you won’t have to miss the party.” Violet smiled a little “You’ve already done so much for me.”

"Oh no. I am where I am supposed to be, which is right here with you, even if you’re not going to tell me what’s wrong.” Raven took the younger woman’s hand in hers, the two of them walking together toward the coat check room at Bianca’s party. The place was slowly getting more and more trashed as the party grew wilder and more and more gatecrashers made their way in.

Raven was so focused on moving forward that she didn’t even notice a brunette woman who was coming toward them. “Oh, excuse me!” started a woman who bumped into Raven.

"You’re excused,” she said flippantly as she kept walking and guiding Violet forward, as the younger girl turned her head to look at the woman who bumped into Raven. Chanel had a wicked grin on her face.

***

“Who wants pancakes?”

Max smiled as a forest of hands shot up from the sofa set in their living room. Katya was cuddled up on Trixie’s chest while Adore’s and Pearl’s feet were intertwined as they were all watching Sunday morning cartoons, the Spongebob theme song playing from the flat screen.

Max had, unlike everyone else it seemed, not gotten a hangover since he had spent most of the night by Jinkx’s side, the other excitingly chatting away about how she had been texting with Ivy and how sweet and perfect the other woman was.

“With whipped cream?” That came from Adore, whose head popped up over the back of the couch.

“And nutella!” Katya smiled, clearly looking forward to a breakfast she didn’t have to make herself not because she was hungover, but because Trixie was so incredibly comfortable beneath her.

“And beer!” Everyone turned to look at Pearl who smiled apologetically. “What, everyone knows it’s the best cure for a hangover.”

Max laughed, knowing nothing was better than when his little family… and Adore, were together, and then it hit him.

“Has anyone seen Violet?”

***

Violet was laying in her bed, her curtains pulled all the way down so her room was bathed in black, the cold and quiet a blessing against her heated skin.

Violet had snuck in last night, carefully taking off her shoes, her bag and her keys with her, locking the door to her room and therefore creating the perfect illusion that she wasn’t home. Hunger was gnawing away at her stomach, but she couldn’t comprehend having to leave the blissful dark and quiet of her room to go to the kitchen, couldn’t deal with the thought of seeing Katya’s pitying eyes or Pearl’s smugness or hear Trixie tell her that he had known all along.

Violet’s phone started buzzing, and she picked it up before placing it back down on her bed again. The caller ID had confirmed her suspicion; it was Sutan. He had called her every hour, his calls becoming more and more frequent the longer she ignored him. She knew she wasn’t being fair, he had never promised her anything, but every time she saw the number, every time she thought of him, images of all the girls, all his models, all his “business dinners” flooded into her head. Violet had wanted to talk to Raven in the taxi, wanted to share her concern so badly, but whenever she had tried to open her mouth she couldn’t say the words. It was better not knowing, better this way.

In the darkness of night Violet had gone on Sutan’s instagram, slowly scrolling through his profile and every picture just confirmed Chanel’s words to her more and more. Sutan was always surrounded by people, a happy smile as he had his arm around a beautiful girl with perfect teeth and bleached blonde hair, a table of drinks with a perky redhead, pictures from a cab with a brunette, her chest something Violet’s sorry A-cups could never compete with. There were pictures of Raja and Raven and shots from the gym showing his workout routine. Fast cars, fast girls, expensive meals and not a single mention of Violet anywhere. She knew it was her own fault, had known it was so stupid of her to assume, to think that someone like Sutan would ever choose her and only her. Violet had cried into her pillow, her body shaking as she cursed herself for not being braver, for not having the courage to ask Sutan what she meant to him, and now… Now…

Her phone finally stopped buzzing, and with a small sigh Violet reached out. She picked the phone up, her fingers pressing Send before she could regret it.

“We’re done. Thank you for everything”

It was better this way. It had to be. Violet did something she had never done in all the time she had worked at Galactica: she turned her phone off, not caring that Fame couldn’t reach her, and went back to sleep.

***  
“Hey Violet?”

Violet looked up from her desk and over at Courtney.

“What?”

“.. Are you okay?”

Violet felt taken aback.

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

She had been so careful to present a perfectly polished version of herself to Fame and the company, making sure every part of her, right down to her fake smile, was impeccable. It wouldn’t do to let anyone know she was practically dying on the inside. The calls to Violet’s personal phone had slowed down, but now she was getting email upon email and text on text on her phone. Each one felt like a tiny stab to the heart, Sutan’s insistence that they should talk equal parts adorable and annoying.

“You haven’t yelled at me all day... Or smiled a single time when Fame isn’t it the room, not even when I accidentally snorted coke out of my nose...”

It felt like someone had dumped a bucket of cold water out over Violet, her lips pursing into a thin line. Courtney’s concern was sweet, but they were not friends, that bridge had been burned weeks ago by Courtney herself, and now the other woman wanted information about Violet’s personal life, pretending like she actually cared and like she would actually do anything else but use it to make Violet’s life even more miserable than it already was.

“How about I do my job, you do yours and you keep your long nose to yourself, okay?”

“I’m here if you want to talk.”

“Believe me, that won’t be necessary.”

Courtney shrugged, accidentally knocking over her coffee which went all over her table.

“Shit!”

***

Katya was in the kitchen, humming along to the songs on her IPod as she washed her brushes. Katya had been working on a big painting for Fame’s summer house for the past few months, spending a few hours whenever she could on it in her craft room. The painting was of an enormous garden, filled with flowers and plants, all of them symbolizing some of the people in Fame’s life. Katya wasn’t stupid. She knew they weren’t the first people who have lived in the flat, and that they probably wouldn’t be the last to be so close to Fame. Katya smiled to herself, Fame was an odd duckling, but she was almost the most loyal friend Katya had ever had.

Katya opened the cabinet with the trash can, about to throw out an old tube of paint when she noticed a huge bouquet of… Flowers? forcefully showed into the small bin underneath their sink.

Katya carefully picked up the flowers, they were all delicate white roses, the volume of it nearly bigger than her head. There was a card underneath the bouquet, and Katya knew that she probably shouldn’t, but the temptation was too great.

“I’m sorry, please forgive me. I miss you lovely eyes.” Katya looked at the card, turning it over again and again looking for a sender.

“Who the hell is lovely eyes?”

***

Violet could feel the pain in her knuckles grow and grow and grow with every punch, but she couldn’t stop, whenever she tried to slow down she felt shame wash over her entire body, making her nauseous, the only thing that helped was the constant rhythm of punch punch kick elbow kick punch punch into the punching bag in front of her.

Her skin was itching with the sweat that was streaming down her skin, but she couldn’t stop,   
She had seen the pictures, had seen him laugh and look so happy, so heartbreakingly happy with someone who wasn’t her.

She could practically hear Sutan’s voice in her head, how he would laugh at her if she came crawling back now, could hear his disappointment in her if she had stayed and tried to bring it up. The thoughts made bile rise in her throat every time she didn’t push herself to the very edge of her limit.

“Violet? Violet are you okay?”

Violet shook her head, the voices in her mind only growing stronger, so she upped her speed.

“Violet, hey, ViVi, look at me!”

“Don’t call me ViVi!”

Violet turned around, and came face to face with… Katya, of all people in the entire world. Violet quickly looked at her door, noticing that she had forgot to lock it in her haste to get her punching back up.

The blonde was standing in a paint splattered t-shirt and ratty leggings, her blonde hair collected in a messy bun, her arms full of the flowers Violet had thrown out the moment she got home. Sutan had sent several bouquets to the office and to their home, all of them except the white one in the big container behind their building.

“Oh… Hi Katya.”

Violet tried to get her face molded into something resembling a proper greeting grimace, but she couldn’t get her usual professional shield to slide into place, not when she was standing face to face with Katya, the others blue eyes burning into her soul.

“What are you doing in here?”

“Well… I found these in the trash and I figured they belonged to you, since you’re the only one with a mystery boyfriend that I haven’t met…”

Katya looked at Violet, carefully taking in the others expression.

“Are you okay ViVi?”

“Yes, yes, of course I’m fine!”

“Are you sure sweetie? You don’t look okay?”

At Katya’s words, Violet felt something break inside of her. She turned around, pushing past Katya as she made her way out of her room and towards the bathroom so quickly that Katya had to run to follow her.

“Violet? Violet, don’t run away!”

Violet could feel the tears in the corner of her eye as she tore her clothes off her body, grabbing her towel and walking into the shower stalls, the hot water barely distracting her from the sounds of Katya pounding on the door.

“Violet, please come out.”

“Leave me alone Katya!”

Violet could feel the tears streaming down her face, her voice once again betraying her and revealing that she was crying.

“ViVi, come out and talk to me, you don’t have to be alone.”

“Shut up Katya, you don’t know shit about what’s happening in my life!”

“No I don’t because you won’t tell me anything! Come out and talk to me and then I’ll know!”

Katya hadn’t expected the door to the bathroom to be ripped open. Violet was standing in front of her, her hair a mess as they could both hear the shower run in the background, Violet only barely covering her body with a towel.

“My life is a fucking mess okay? I hate my job Katya, I have spent a year taking shit from everyone and I’m this close to making it out of there but no matter what I do it feels like that day will never come! I can’t look my best friends in the eyes because she wanted to use me for sex and is now fucking some disgusting disease-ridden tramp. I’ll never get my promotion because I’m stuck with the dumbest Taylor Swift knockoff the world has ever seen and even if Fame does accept her as my successor there is no way in hell she will last under Fame’s constant attention, oh, oh, and have I mentioned the best part? I just fucked up the best relationship I have ever had because I’m too controlling and jealous! I had everything I wanted and I walked away from it because I can’t, stop, these, fucking feelings. It’s like my chest is on fire every time I think about him being with someone else, and now that I have broken it off with him, he’s most likely having sex with some beautiful, Italian, bleached blonde model who is everything I’ll never be! So yes, Katya, my life is pretty fucking miserable so just leave me alone!”

Violet didn’t even register Katya’s arms around her, before she was pulled into a tight hug.

“How about a cup of tea?”

“… That’d be nice…”

***

Sutan slammed the door open to Raja’s living room, making her jump.

“66 calls, 66 calls in three days and she hasn’t responded to any of them!”

Sutan was pacing the floor, walking back and forth like a caged animal.

“And then, yesterday morning I got this, look at it! ’We’re done, thank you for everything’ what the fuck! Does that mean?!”

Sutan was so angry that he threw his phone, the gadget landing with a hard thumb on the couch besides Raja.

“We’re done? ‘We’re’ done? Done with what? How dare she, that little, that little, urgh!” Sutan grabbed Raja’s glass of wine and downed it in one gulp.

“Three days ago she was in my arms where she belongs, in my bed, where she belongs, in my apartment where she should live, and now this?! Fuck Raja, I sound like some kind of psychopath but I don’t know what to do!”

"Ummm very interesting.” Raja drawled out in response to her brother’s show of emotion.

Raja was stretched out on her couch cushioned by numerous pillows. Where she was referred to in the industry as “The Dragon Lady,” her brother was known by many as “The Ice Prince.” Sutan was almost always cold and unaffected by the world unless they were someone he held dear. Where Raja had no problem letting people know if she was displeased with a situation, her brother, not so much. He kept it in, but when it came out, it could be vicious.

But for her to see him act like this over a woman, that is what brought her the ultimate joy. To see her brother so thrown off and unhinged over a small waif of a woman treating him the way he has treated so many made her want to cackle viciously, but she held it in. “Oh how the tables have turned little brother. The ultimate playboy is getting played…Well I don’t know what to tell you Sutan. Have you tried to talk to Pearl since they live together?” she asked as she refilled her glass after her brother drank it all.

“It might not seem like it, but I still have pride.” Sutan continued his pacing, his hand going through his hair again and again which Raja knew was something he only did whenever he was under extreme amounts of pressure.

“Do you think this is my fault?” Sutan stopped moving. “Have I done something wrong? I have been going over the night again, and again and again, the entire month actually. It’s driving me insane Rajie. I can’t eat, I can’t sleep, I can’t think about anything but her.” Sutan sat down on the couch. “I miss her Rajie.. I genuinely miss her and I have no idea why she’s gone. I held the door open, I paid for her drinks, I complimented her dress, I even kept my hands to myself in the car even though I wanted nothing more than to have her.” Sutan’s hands glided over his face, a frustrated sound leaving him. “She never complains, never fucking complains so I have no idea!”

Sutan leaned back into the couch, angrily kicking off his shoes.

“I sound like a maniac… Can you believe I’m complaining about a girl not complaining?”

“It’s usually the other way around, do you remember the girl who made you get a new car because she didn’t like the leather in your old one?”

“Don’t remind me…”

Sutan sighed, his eyes meeting his sister’s.

“She’s always fucking humble; do you know what happened last week when she caught me smoking out the bedroom window?”

“No?”

“Nothing.”

“… Nothing? Really?” Raja waited a beat or two, until she opened her mouth again. “I can set up a little meeting between you two.” She started as she saw her brother whip around to look at her. “But I can’t make any promises. I’ll lure her into my office with some kind of excuse. In that case she’ll be forced to interact with you at least for 2 minutes so you can try to talk to her.” She continued as she shifted slightly so she could drink easier.

“And even though she is her usual professional self, she seems a little ‘off’ so I know your feelings aren’t entirely one sided.”

“Can you really Raja?” asked Sutan as he looked at Raja.

“I will try I said. But you only have this one shot and then there isn’t anything I can do.” He must really love her to be this desperate to see her. “I just hope I don’t get sued for this shit. They don’t have champagne in jail. Think of it as my favor in return for those models for our show last minute.“

***

When Pearl and Adore entered the club, the blonde was feeling stupid. Adore had insisted they both wear leather jackets and Pearl had absentmindedly said okay, before realizing they looked more like wannabe sister besties, not girlfriends and adults. But what the hell, it made Adore happy, and it was dark in the club. Loud rock music was drowning out everything else.

“Oh look, look, Pearl! My friend Laila is performing, she’s badass, we have to check her out!”

Adore kept dragging Pearl closer and closer until they had a good view of the small club stage, a band playing, a short girl holding a microphone, long, fiery red hair covering her face. She was wearing an oversized black t-shirt, denim shorts and artfully ripped tights, standing in the middle of the stage, looking down. The song was just beginning and she started singing in a low voice, almost a whisper, until she broke into a scream, loud, piercing Pearl’s eardrums.

The slow beginning of the song was just a deception. The vocalist exploded like a ball of energy in seconds, jumping and headbanging like a maniac.

Pearl watched the girl move on stage, writhe on the floor and scream into the mic, voice raspy and the sexiest thing Pearl has ever heard, lyrics telling a heartbreaking story of loss, despair, pain and loneliness, but the girl could’ve been singing about pink elephants as well, because Pearl just kept staring. She saw the lights dancing on the other’s face, thick black eyeliner surrounding her eyes, lips painted a dark crimson red.

And Pearl was perfectly okay until the singer (what did Adore say her name was? Laila?) looked straight at Pearl, and her eyes were fire.

The ground shook beneath Pearl for no good reason at all. She had to grab onto Adore’s elbow, because she felt like passing out, the room spinning around her.

“Ow! Bitch, that hurts! You okay?” questioned Adore.

“No. No, I need to – I need some fresh air. Be right back.”

Pearl ran out of the club, pushing people out of her way, throwing her body into the chilly night outside, gasping for air like a fish out of water. She pressed her hands to her chest where her heart was supposed to be, and it was, beating fast like a motherfucker.

What the fuck was happening to her? She was watching the cars go by, nervously patting her pockets for the pack of cigs. She lit one up, taking a deep drag and slowly releasing the air, trying to force her shaking hands to stay calm, but it wasn’t helping much.

“Hey, baby, are you alright?” Adore stepped out of the club, looking at Pearl with her eyebrows drawn together in concern. “You’re scaring me! Do you want some water or – I don’t know, a hug?”

“No, no, it’s okay. But can we just go, Adore? I’m not feeling so good, maybe we can just make some grilled cheese at your place and get baked together, what do you think?”

“Noooo,” whined Adore. “We’re gonna miss Laila’s show! You have to meet her and the guys afterwards! They’re all fucking cool. Now come on, we’ll get you some water, you’ll be okay.”

Adore took Pearl’s cigarette, getting one drag before dropping it to the ground, and grabbed Pearl’s hand to get her back to the club.

***


	12. Chapter 12

After having performed, like always, Laila wanted water, but she was only given cheap diluted beer. She didn’t complain though, she loved singing with her band, and the feeling of euphoria she got from being onstage made up for everything she had to endure to be able to do it.

There was some commotion by the backstage door and Laila saw her guitarist high-fiving a blue-haired chick she identified as Adore Delano. Only she wasn’t alone, and as relatively cute as Adore was, she didn’t have anything on the blonde girl off whose arm she was hanging.

The girl in question was wearing a leather jacket akin to Adore’s, tight black jeans, and probably other items of clothing Laila didn’t register, because as soon as she glanced at the girl’s face, she just kept staring. Her flawless bone structure was complemented by perfectly applied makeup, dark, shiny eyelids, fluttering lashes and crimson red lips, everything surrounded by a soft, wavy cloud of platinum blonde hair.

“Hey, Laila!” yelled Adore. “Great show tonight! Meet Pearl, my girlfriend.”

Oh. Adore’s girlfriend? Really? Pearl extended a hand, wiping it off on her jeans first.

“Hi. Hey. I’m – I’m Pearl. I really liked you, I mean, I liked how you sing, the show, I mean. Fuck,” muttered Pearl under her breath, biting her fingernail. She was visibly nervous, stumbling over simple words, and Laila couldn’t for the life of her figure out why. She had a body of a model, and damn, she was tall as fuck. It was like looking into a blinding light. Do people like this ever get nervous?

“Thank you! That means a lot. I’m Laila. Laila McQueen.”

“That’s nice. Nice to meet you!” Pearl smiled awkwardly, looking to Adore for help, but Adore already moved on to talk to the guys, leaving Pearl and Laila by themselves. Laila took a drink of her beer.

“So how long have you and Adore been together?” asked Laila, due to lack of a better conversation topic. She realized she might’ve made a mistake when Pearl deflated, her nervous smile fading into an expression of disappointment.

“I – I’m not sure? A while. Not long. We met during – ”

What she said was drowned out by Adore’s loud shriek, “Guys! Let’s all go get some drinks!” Adore appeared by Pearl’s side again, locking hands, so Laila smiled at Pearl apologetically before they all went to the bar.

They didn’t really talk through the rest of the night, but Laila kept catching sneaky glances Pearl was throwing her way, because she couldn’t stop looking at Pearl, either.

****

Sutan took a deep breath, he knew he had been an annoyance at work the entire week; his mind occupied with everything but the work in front of him. But to be sent all the way to Miami for a model convention of all things was a new low for punishment and quite frankly an insult from his boss. Sutan hadn’t seen anyone even remotely interesting, every girl as bland as the toast he had reluctantly had for breakfast at his hotel restaurant. He scanned the room, his mind crunching on his upcoming meet up with Violet when he saw her. The girl that could potentially make this entire farce worth it.

***

Pop, pop, pop.

Naomi was chewing her gum, blowing small bubbles that she popped in a fast rhythm. Her grandma had told her it was a mistake, that a model convention was a scam but she had thrown her entire allowance into it anyway, working the stage like she owned it. Everyone around her were mingling, even the ugliest girls from before had had agents come up to them to introduce themselves, but no one had come near Naomi. She reached up and tore off her name tag, annoyance radiating off her as she tore the paper into small pieces.

“Are you chewing gum?”

“What’s it to you?” Naomi looked at the man in front of her, her anger still so fresh that she couldn’t help but blow a big pink bubble, just to piss the man of, but instead of telling her to behave, he only laughed as she popped her bubble.

“I saw you on stage.”

“You were supposed to, I was walking the runway, that’s what models do.” Naomi snorted through her nose. Why was the man still there?

His eyes were running over her body, as if he could calculate her height, her weight, and the cost of her nail polish in a single glance.

“What were you thinking when you got dressed this morning?”

Naomi looked down at herself. She was wearing long strappy sandals and a black bodysuit.

“That my body is dope and I want to show it off?”

“Interesting answer.” The man smiled and held out his hand. “Sutan Amrull, Elite model management.”

“Naomi Smalls, up and coming superstar” Naomi reached out and took Sutan’s hand. Sutan produced a handkerchief for his pocket, holding it out in a gesture that indicated that he wanted Naomi to spit out her gum, which she did.

“I think you and I are going to get along splendidly Naomi Smalls.”

***

Bianca, clad in a nondescript coat and large sunglasses, flipped through the pages of the Natalie Wood biography that she’d been meaning to read for years. She was tucked in a corner of her favorite bookstore, enjoying one of the last lazy Sundays of before the holiday season started and destroyed her life once again.

Satisfied with her choice, as well as an enormous coffee table book of Costume Ball photography, she made her way to the register. She set her purchases down and smiled at the bearded clerk. She could never remember his name - it was some generic white guy name - Jim? John? Phil? - but he was always helpful. He began to ring her up when a small voice behind her shyly said, “Bianca?”

She whipped around, a little annoyed at being recognized, but immediately softened when she saw who it was. “Courtney! Hi,” she tried to contain her glee at seeing Adore’s beautiful friend, but her dimples were a dead giveaway.

Courtney smiled back. “What are you doing downtown?”

“I just really love this place. Plus the coffee shop around the corner is amazing. I was planning to head over… do you…maybe want to join me? Coffee’s on me, I know Fame pays you like 30 cents an hour.”

“Oh, Um, I mean I don’t really drink coffee–”

Bianca’s chest deflated a little, “Oh, nevermind–”

“But if you don’t mind the company, I’d love to join you for tea or something.”

Bianca perked up as she handed her credit card to Jim-John-Paul-Brad. “Yeah, I’d love that.”

Courtney slid a novel onto to the counter. “Okay, awesome.”

Bianca caught a glimpse of her book and her eyebrows shot up. “The Bluest Eye? You read Toni Morrison?”

“Yeah. I mean, I loved Song of Solomon. Why do you sound so shocked?”

“Well, you’re friends with my sister. The last novel she read was one of the ‘Sweet Valley High’ books. And I’m gonna guess she didn’t finish it.”

“Ha! I mean we’re friends but we’re not the same person,” Courtney said with a sassy smirk. “And I’ll pretty much read anything Oprah tells me to, since she’s basically my spiritual leader, so…”

Bianca laughed. “Oh, one of THOSE girls.”

Courtney put her hands on her hips, pursing her lips, “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You know…” Bianca tossed her hair and imitated a valley-girl accent, ”Like I’m not into religion, PER SE, but I’m like, totally spiritual. I do sunrise yoga and like my Shaman says I have a very open spirit. I’m like really into Buddhism and I’m a vegan on weekdays and like a total, like, socialist, but like in that way where EVERYONE is rich, you know? And I think in my past life I was totally a fish because I really connect with the ocean. Don’t you think trees are like, magical? Omigod I need to go to Africa SO BAD.”

Courtney attempted to glare at her but after a few seconds, broke and doubled over laughing. “I would be offended but that is exactly me. Fuck.”

“It’s okay. I guess the world needs people like you to balance out cynical assholes like me.”

“I mean but do you NOT think trees are magical? And if not… were you not held as a child?”

Bianca gave her a cross look and she laughed again.

“I can see why Adore kept us apart so long. She wanted me to think she was the cool sister.”

Bianca grinned. “Ha! She wishes.”

***

Violet took a deep breath. She was just about to walk into Raja’s office, having been sent by Fame to get her input on the new uniform ideas for their store girls in Japan. Normally Violet wouldn’t mind a trip to Raja’s office, but today is was pretty much her worst nightmare. She was exhausted, and she could practically feel her how deep her dark circles were. 

After her breakup with Sutan and her horrible last week there was only one thing holding her up. Her transfer to design which was getting closer and closer.

There was one small problem though, if she wasn’t going to be in office anymore, she couldn’t cover for Courtney, so Violet had been running as fast as she could, desperately trying to get the other girl ready to take over as Fame’s only assistant. Violet had even gone as far as giving Courtney books, movies and magazines as homework. The final straw however, was that Violet had to prepare her own transfer as well, she had been practicing and relearning the skills she got at college, researching Galactica’s design history in every free moment she got. 

Violet tightened her grip on the documents a little more, grabbed the doorknob and stepped inside Raja’s office.

“Hello lovely eyes.”

Violet froze. The door clicking shut behind her. Sutan was sitting at Raja’s desk, the woman nowhere to be seen.

“What are you doing here? Where is Raja?”

“She’s having lunch with Raven.” Sutan was looking at Violet, and Violet could feel bile rise in her throat. She didn’t want to be here, didn’t want to see him. She felt hyper-aware of her own body, every little flaw seemed suddenly unsightly.

“I better go then…” Violet smiled, reaching behind her, looking for the door knob.

“Not so fast.” Sutan stood up, and for the first time ever, Violet felt threatened by him, which was a completely foreign feeling for her. “Can’t you at least tell me what I did wrong?”

“You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“Why am I being punished then?”

“You’re not…”

Their eyes were locked across the room, and Sutan looked so… sad. Sadder than Violet had ever seen him before. “Then why does it feel like this? I have tried to get in touch with you for over a week, I have done everything I was supposed to do when you apologize without knowing why, but you haven’t responded even once. Katya told me you even threw out my flowers.”

“Sutan… please,” Violet had finally found the doorknob, her hand on it, ready to flee. “It’s better this way.”

“Better this way? How can you say that? I don’t even know what this way is, why we’re on it, or where we’re going! One day we’re happy, and the next day you’re gone as if you had never existed in the first place. It feels like I have been dating Cinderella for the past three months, the clock has struck midnight, and poof, you’re gone.”

“Sutan, please, believe me, it is better. I can’t be the girl you want.”

Violet had a tight grip on the door, but Sutan was keeping his distance, staying behind Raja’s desk, respectful of her boundaries and her safety even in a situation like this, which made tears well up in her eyes.

“I’m doing this for us… Three good months, and then none bad.”

“So you have just decided then? That we’re done? That you’re not who I want? Without asking me about how I feel?”

“Sutan, please.”

“No. Violet, I love you, and I know I have never said it before, but I love yo-”

“I can’t live with the idea of you cheating on me.”

Violet gasped and smacked her hand over her mouth, completely shocked that she had just said the words, her and Sutan staring at each other, the office dead silence as Sutan processed what she had just said. “.. What? Me cheating on you? Why would you think I would do that?”

Sutan looked completely devastated, and he took a step towards Violet which made her grab the doorknob even harder. Sutan immediately held his hands up at her reaction and took a step back again.

“Violet… I would never cheat on you.”

“We both know that’s a lie Sutan. Do you think I’m blind? Do you think I can’t see the endless parade of girls who throws themselves at you? I just never knew that you slept with them while being with me…”

“What? Violet, I haven’t. You’re the only one. Who told you these things?”

“Does it matter? We both know it’s true! Once a cheater always a cheater!”

“Who told you this? Tell me!”

“Does it matter? We both know it’s true!”

Violet was crying even harder now, her voice breaking again and again.

“Violet!” Sutan took a step forward again, and Violet stayed exactly where she was.

“No! No, I’m not going to be quiet. I love you Sutan, I love you and I can’t live like that, I can’t… I love you too much…”

“Mata Indah, lovely eyes, please.” Sutan looked so utterly broken that Violet felt her broken heart shatter completely.

“That’s not who I am anymore. Yes, I used to be that. I used to be a horrible person who used people. Raja and I… I’m not proud of who we were, I’m not proud of a lot of things I have done, but I’m not that person anymore.” Sutan had moved even closer, the space between them slowly closing.

“I haven’t been with anyone but you since we went to the Met, I haven’t even been on a date with anyone since the Met because I want you. I need every part of you. I want your brain, and your pride, and that little smile you give me when I have done something right. I want you to challenge me, and call me on my bullshit. I want to wake up next to you and I want to get… I don’t know, a fucking dog with you some day. I don’t want anyone else, I don’t need anyone else, but I do need you.”

Sutan was standing right in front of Violet now.

“Please.”

Violet didn’t even realize she had released her death grip on the door, until her arms were around Sutan’s neck, the two clinging desperately to each other as Violet sobbed into Sutan’s shoulder.

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.”

“Sssh, sssh, it’s okay, it’s okay.”

Violet looked up at Sutan, and then they were both laughing at the ridiculousness of the situation, how Sutan’s eyes were red from his tears, and how Violet’s mascara had run, and then they were kissing. Violet’s legs wrapped around Sutan’s waist as he held her against the door, the two of them back where they belonged, which was together.

“God, I missed you,” Sutan’s lips kissed down her neck, his hand already between her legs.

“I missed you too.” Violet smiled, her entire body already thrumming with excitement.

“Do you have a condom?”

“Oh, shit, no, I think I have some in my bag, wait here I’ll-”

“Hey, hey.” Sutan smiled and kissed Violet. “It’s okay, it’s okay.” Sutan fell to his knees and flipped up her skirt, his eyes fixated on Violet’s cunt before he leaned in and all Violet heard was a long, drawn out inhale.

Violet gasped, arousal and excitement turning in her as she felt herself get wetter and wetter at the sight of Sutan’s head between her legs. Sutan sat there for a solid ten seconds smelling her, inhaling her, breathing her in like he has been too long without this and it’s all he’s ever needed. That alone makes Violet nearly come on the spot while Sutan pulled down her panties, overloaded in the idea that he’s missed her that badly, so incredibly happy that Raja knew her, that she brought them back together. Violet’s head dropped back as he dipped his head forward and ran his nose along her, tracing her, his tongue tasting her.

Sutan’s mouth was hovering over her until she whined and then he kissed the crease of her left thigh before pulling away.

“Fuck, I missed that,” Sutan growled, loud and rumbly, making Violet shiver.

“Please.” Violet gasped as Sutan kissed her mound. She could see his biceps flex as he picked her up, her legs over his shoulder, and when she touched his back, the muscles just on the curve of his neck were bulging and tense.

“Please, Sutan, please.” Violet pushed her hips forward, brushing against his mouth. “Please-”

“Ssh baby,” Violet could feel Sutan smile against her. “Ssh, I’m going to take care of you.” Sutan’s fingers dug into Violet’s thighs, and then he dived in, attacking her instantly.

Sutan’s mouth was everywhere, catching her by surprise and making her whole body jolt as he sucked on her clit. A constant rotation of lips and teeth and tongue. His fingers joined in, fucking into her making her almost panic at the intensity of the sensation before she became overwhelmed with a great rush of warmth, her toes curling as she came with a broken moan.

***

“Hey, thanks for helping me out with my costume, Katya.”

“You know me, I love a chance to bring out my craft kit!” Katya smiled as she pinned a gold band on Max’s front.

Katya and Max were hanging out in Katya’s craft room, a colorful space full of pieces of fabric, felt, fake flowers and glitter, glitter everywhere. There were Trixie’s sketches and prototypes spread all over the room as well, making it a lively, creative mess. Max grinned as he looked at Katya completely immersed in her element.

“So what are you supposed to be again?”

“A magician! I’m going with Jinkx and Ivy, since Jinkx is too shy to go with Ivy alone.”

“Max, I really think you should tell her.“

“She’s my friend, but she’s allowed to make her own mistakes.”

“Not this one, Max, not this one. Would you want to be kept in the dark by your best friend?”

“I don’t know, Katya.“ He started sighing deeply. “I honestly don’t know. I just really hate seeing Jinkx unhappy, and she’s been unhappy for a very long time. Maybe it will all work out somehow.”

“Doubt it,” muttered Katya with a safety pin between her teeth. “Here, it’s done! What do you think?”

Max admired himself in the mirror. “I think that you’re an underrated genius, and deserve me to bake you all the pies in the world now. It looks amazing, darling, I love it!”

“You’re welcome! I want cherry. And apple – or, you know what? I have the awesomest idea. Apple AND cherry. In one pie!”

“And apple and cherry you’ll get.”

***  
Text: Can you come pick me up?

Text: I’ll be there in 10.

The last thing Sutan expected to see when his taxi pulled up to the curb was Violet standing outside, wrapped in the white jacket he had brought her as a replacement only a few weeks before, not a single trace on her that she was in distress. He has expected her to be scared, worried or, well… Anything but the small smile that appeared on her lips as she saw him step out of the taxi.

“Hey!” Violet’s smile morphed into a slightly shyer one as Sutan walked over to her, his eyes searching her for any traces of struggle or distress.

“What’s going on?”

“I’m taking you out on a date!” Violet looked at Sutan for his reaction, a wide smile breaking out on her face as he laughed. “Don’t laugh!”

“I’m not laughing.”

“You are!”

“I just don’t understand the logic, I could’ve taken the afternoon off if you wanted to go on a date.”

“I checked with Mimi and you were already free… And, well, I wanted to surprise you.” Violet smiled sweetly, and it was only then that Sutan really looked at her, saw how her eyebrows had just been treated, her lashes dyed, her lips painted with a lovely matte color, her hair freshly cut and her nails painted to perfection.

“Well, color me surprised.” Sutan smiled and grabbed her hand. “Let me see you then.” Before he spun her around, Violet laughing happily as he pulled her into his arms, their lips met in a kiss.

“Come on, if we don’t go now they’re going to give our table to someone else.”

“Someone is bossy today.”

Violet nodded as she grabbed Sutan’s hand and dragged him with her into the restaurant they were standing outside of, a spring in her step as he held the door open for her.

***

“Hey Trix?”

“Mmh?”

Pearl and Trixie were sitting on the couch together, each with a beer in their hand as they played Grand Theft Auto, Pearl controlling the joystick.

“Do you think that whole ‘once a cheater, always a cheater’ is a real thing?”

“Why do you ask?”

“No reason.” Pearl took a swing of her beer before she pointed at the scene. “Should we stab the police officer or the nun? I feel like the police officer would have more money and the trousers you chose for our character look horrible with our car, so we obviously need a new one-”

“Pearl, seriously, why do you ask?“

“Nothing, I was just wondering, now, do you want the new car or not, know what, I’m just going to stab the police officer, what’s the worst thing that can happen?”

The two sat together in silence for a while as Pearl got the entire town following her tail, Trixie taking over and accidentally driving them into the water.

“I think it’s a choice.”

“Being this bad at Grand Theft Auto?”

“No, cheating.” Trixie looked at Pearl, a serious expression on his face. “I don’t think that ‘once a cheater, always a cheater’ thing is true, just like I don’t believe anyone who says that some people are inherently evil. I think it’s a choice each and every time if you want to stay faithful, or if you want to cheat.”

Pearl nodded, working over Trixie’s words in her mind while their game rebooted.

“The question is whether or not what you have is worth fighting for.”

Pearl snorted at Trixie’s words, a smile appearing on her face. “Calm down, Obie Wan Kanobie.”

“That is not even close to the character’s name.”

“I don’t care.” Pearl gave Trixie’s knee a gentle slap before she stood up. “I’m getting a refill, do you want one too?”

“Aye, refill I want, green beer from top shelf very best one.”

“That is a horrible Yoda impression.”

“And yet you still love me.”

“Against all odds.” Pearl laughed as she grabbed Trixie’s empty bottle, disappearing into the kitchen.

***

Violet couldn’t help but giggle to herself as she looked over at Sutan; her plan had worked perfectly. Sutan had seemed genuinely surprised when he had stepped out of the taxi, and his expression hadn’t changed much through dinner. She felt stupidly happy; all of the stress and the preparation for the date had been completely worth it to show Sutan how much she cared and how grateful she was for the fact that he had given her a second chance; the he had given Them a second chance.

“Can we get the check, please?”

Sutan smiled as Violet flagged down the waiter. It had just been the two of them all night, Violet’s foot had rested against Sutan underneath the table for the entire night as they had chatted about everything and nothing. They had just finished their dessert which had been a piece of chocolate cake.

“What brought all of this on?”

“Maybe I just have the best boyfriend in the world.”

Sutan smiled and reached over the table, intertwining their fingers as the waiter came with their bill. Sutan was just about to find his wallet, but Violet was too quick as she had already slipped her credit card to the waiter.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m paying.”

“Lovely eyes, come on-”

“No.” Violet smiled, giving him a slight kick underneath the table. “I invited you out, tonight I’m the daddy and you’re the baby.”

“So I’m your bitch?”

“I prefer to think of it as arm candy.”

Sutan smiled; Violet never ceased to amaze him. “Spend the night?”

“I’d love to.”

***

“Honey, I’m home and I have our costumes!”

Patrick had barely closed the door before Fame had shot down the stairs, a flurry of movements as she ran to the living room with the two boxes Patrick had picked up from the doorman.

’'Look, baby! Isn’t that perfect?” Fame already tore open one of the boxes, revealing a stunning, flowing gown that hit the floor. “I’m going as Queen Elizabeth!”

“I’m sure you’ll be the queen of the party, my dear. But who am I going as?”

Fame smiled devilishly, a box cutter in her hands. “That’s the best part!”

The other box contained what could only be described as a stable boy outfit: tight pants with suspenders, long boots, a shirt and a hat. “Well, I see I’m not gonna be your king.”

Fame grabbed Patrick by the waist and pulled him closer, laying a little kiss on his lips. “No, but you’re going to be my stable boy lover, and together, we’ll rule the world.”

“I can get behind that”, said Patrick, taking the box cutter from Fame’s hands, putting it safely on the table and giving his wife a long, warm kiss. “Can you imagine how my butt will look in these pants?”

“Well, I just wanted to show off my man.”

***

“Good morning, lovely eyes,” said Sutan as he watched Violet walk into the living room fresh from the shower after her morning yoga routine. Violet dumped down next to him on the couch, a smile on her face as Sutan pulled her in for a kiss.

“Good morning to you too.” Violet broke the kiss and looked up at Sutan, her eyes half lidded with a deep satisfaction. “Last night was amazing… All three times.”

“Mmmh, I missed this.” Sutan smiled at his beautiful Violet, the TV all powered up,  _Batman Returns_  ready to play.

“I did too,” Violet said softly as she snuggled under his arm, relishing in the quiet of the mid-morning hour. “So, this is the best Batman movie of all times?”

“Yes, it’s a cinematic masterpiece. I had a major crush on Michelle Pfeiffer in college.”

“Just in college?” Violet smiled and Sutan chuckled.

“Maybe.”

“Well, I got my brows done yesterday, so I have time if you do?”

“Nothing jumps to mind,” Sutan replied as he looked down to Violet before looking back at his iPad screen. “But I swear it feels as if I’m forgetting something,” he muttered to himself.

“Well,” she started as she snuggled further into the couch. “When it comes to mind we’ll deal with it.” She finished with a smile before turning her attention to her phone and settling into compatible silence with Sutan.

***

“OPEN THE DOOR, SUTAN! Our hands are full!” called a female voice from outside the apartment, accompanied by some bangs at the door.

“Is that…is that Raja?!” asked Violet who was startled out of her movie induced cuddle coma.

“Oh shit. Now I remember what it was,” said Sutan as he got up from his spot on the couch. “I’m so sorry, Violet, but my sister and I have a standing date every month to have a meal together so we can be each other’s therapists, and not have to pay money for a stranger to listen to us rant,” he said as he stretched before walking to the door to let his sister and Raven in.

“Smooth move, Mr. Amrull,” replied Violet flatly as she turned around on the couch to watch him go.

“You know I’m an old man, my memory is sometimes questionable,” he said earning a snort from his girlfriend as he went to the front door, Violet quickly running to the bathroom; braiding her hair and putting on light makeup before she took a deep breath, ready to face Raja and Raven.

Violet heard Raven’s distinctive voice squeal “TANTAN! MY TALL DARLING, GOOD MORNING!” It was a wonder what fueled the Russian model to make her so chipper in the morning.

“OH!! Violet, good morning!” sang Raven as she walked into the living room, arms full of a pretty glass tea service before she sat the tray down on the glass coffee table in between the long couch and the love-seat under the window. “It’s so good to see you!” she said as she pulled the smaller woman into a tight hug.

“Enough Rave, let her breathe,” said Raja as she sauntered into the room with a smile on her face. “Good morning, Violet,” she said as the tall woman’s eyes landed on the petite young woman still in her overly excited fiancée’s arms. “I’m glad to have you join us for monthly gatherings,” she purred, though genuinely happy to see the young woman relaxed in her brother’s home.

Violet wheezed out a soft “Good morning Raja” before Raven let her go, not realizing she still had a tight hold on her. “Good morning Raven, you’re up and ready to take on the world,” she said with a small laugh at the model’s bubbly morning persona.

“It’s so good to see you!” exclaimed Raven as she stood back to get a good look at Violet. “I hadn’t heard from you since the party and I thought you lost my number or got sick or something. But I’m so glad you’re here, you look so cute!” Violet smiled a little, knowing that she only barely looked acceptable, having not expected to spend time with anyone but Sutan.

“Raven… Why are you so hyper this early?” asked Sutan with a laugh at his future sister-in-law, regarding her excitement at seeing Violet. “Are you on some type of drug, or do you have a coffee IV Raja isn’t aware of- Ouch!” Sutan grabbed his arm, holding the tender place where his sister had just punched him.

“You are such an ass,” Raven replied while rolling her eyes. “I’m a morning person and I always try to start and end the day on a good note,” she continued before cutting her eyes at him, “so bitch, don’t kill my vibe,” she finished, sticking her tongue out at him.

“Uuuh, is that Batman? Can we watch too?”

Sutan sighed, a smile on his face. He was sort of glad that Raven was that chipper since it meant that Raven was happy. He looked at his sister, a grateful expression on his face as Raja had helped him get back together with Violet, letting him borrow her office, orchestrating the whole thing and not telling Raven about the rocky patch.

“Sure, who wants cream cheese?”

***  
  
“Katya! The glue won’t stick!”

“Hold on, babe, let me do that!”

Expertly, Katya took two giant, fake boobs, and placed them on Trixie’s chest carefully. As soon as she was done, she helped her boyfriend put on a glittery, over-the-top pink Barbie dress, and took a step back to admire the view in front of her eyes. Trixie twirled in his dress, feeling the fantasy.

“How do I look?”

“I just want to stare at you forever, you look amazing.” Katya grinned.

“I don’t even look half as good as you, hot stuff.” Trixie approached Katya, who was wearing a short blond wig, a giant glitter suit and buffalo shoes, and put his hand on her butt. Katya felt funny, she felt good, but ‘hot’ wouldn’t be the word she’d use to describe herself right now.

“As soon as we’re home, I’m gonna rip it all off you, and then I’m gonna – ”

“Katya! Can you help me zip up my boots, my nails are-” Violet nearly ran into the craft room, suddenly stopping in her tracks with a giant smile on her face as she saw Trixie. “Wow! Now that’s something.”

“I know, right! I look awesome!”

’'Awesome, and a little scary if I’m being honest. But it fits you, surprisingly,” winked Violet.

“And what are you supposed to be?” Katya asked Violet, helping the other girl zip up her long, leather boots.

Violet smiled and placed a pair of ears on top of her head. “I’m Catwoman, of course!”

“Somebody’s been watching a lot of Batman lately,” teased Trixie, and Violet stuck her tongue out at him.

“Jokes aside, I think we’re all ready to go! Let’s go take some selfies before leaving!” Katya pulled out her phone and the three of them happily posed for pictures.

***

“Bye bye, my little darlings, be safe tonight!”

Fame smiled as she closed the door behind her. She loved Halloween, loved dressing up, loved the pretend and the magic of the night.

“Was that the last ones?” Patrick looked at Fame, his arms stilled filled with a giant jack o’lantern bowl.

“Yes!”

“Save it. I’m sure the pets will love it. Max adores those caramel filled chocolates, and you know how wonderfully childish Katya gets whenever sour candies are involved.”

“And what about your newest addition?”

“Violet?” Fame looked into the bowl, Patrick shaking it a little so she could see all of the different things they had brought for the children.

“Know what, you’re right, I’ll get something else for her.”

Patrick smiled and leaned into Fame, their lips meeting in a sweet kiss when they heard their clock click into the new hour.

“Ready to go to the ball, my queen?”

“Lead the way, my noble stable boy.”

***

“Jinkx! I love your costume!” Ivy smiled at Jinkx, and Jinkx felt her heart clench. Even though there were people all around them, it felt as if they were the only two in the room. Ivy was so beautiful, her smile always so bright it took her breath away.

“Thank you! Max helped me find it.” Jinkx spun around a single time, showing off the harlequin clown costume, the sequins on it making it clear that her and Ivy were supposed to be from the same circus.

“I love Halloween, it’s the greatest night of the year!”

Jinkx smiled and looked at Ivy, the other woman dressed in a trapeze artist costume, with half a sun in shining orange on her stomach.

“I love your costume, Ivy! But why is the sun not round?”

“It’s because my boyfriend is wearing the other half! A true circus artist never works alone.”

Jinkx felt her world shatter at the words that had just left Ivy’s mouth. Boyfriend? What was going on?

“Boyfriend? You have a boyfriend?”

“Yes, his name is Keith. We’ve been together for years, he works in publishing.”

Jinkx nodded, because what else was she supposed to do?

***

“A gin and tonic please!”

Violet smiled at the bartender as he nodded, showing her that he had heard her order. The crowd at the bar was intense, everyone pushing and shoving each other as they tried to get their drinks, but Violet actually enjoyed it. It was nice to feel young and a little naughty, she was pleasantly buzzed and being honest, she couldn’t remember the last time she had been out on Halloween, wasn’t actually sure she had ever been out for Halloween except as a child who had gone trick or treating.

“Here you go, one gin and tonic, that’ll be 7 dollars.”

“Thank you!” Violet smiled brightly as she grabbed her drink, her fingers already in her top, searching for the bills she had stuffed in there as a hand shot over her head with a $10 bill in it.

“It’s on me, keep the change.”

Violet turned around, surprised that anyone had paid for her drink, when she recognized the man in front of her.

“Boomer? Is that you?!” Violet laughed and wrapped her arms around the other man to hug him, but instead of hugging her back, he easily lifted her up and away from the bar with one hand, as he practically dwarfed Violet with his bulk.

***  
“Here Courtney! Drink this! Maybe it’ll make you shrink so I can put you in my pocket, wouldn’t that be awesome!” Adore thrust a drink into Courtney’s hands, only barely avoiding a spill.

“Ha ha, very funny. Is that the best you can do? You don’t have any other  _Alice in Wonderland_ jokes?” Courtney took a sip of the drink anyway as she patted down her apron.

“Nope, I used all of them on Bianca.”

“Why? Is your sister dressed as Alice as well?” Courtney looked at Adore with disbelief in her eyes. Adore was dressed in flaming red, even her usually blue hair now a bright red wig.

“Of course not, silly, she went as Queen of hearts so she would have an excuse to scream ‘off with your head’ at people, not that she doesn’t do that normally.” Adore dunked her shot, grabbing a new one. “Uh! You guys should totally get a picture together!”

“Sure, whatever.” Courtney crossed her arms. She didn’t actually want to be here, even if the mention of Bianca made her stomach flip. “What are you supposed to be again?”

“It’s a couple’s costume Courtney, duh. I’m fire, Pearl is going as a sexy fireman. She’s been really into red hair lately, so I figured I’d be a good girlfriend and dress up sexy!”

“So her job for the night is to hose you down and turn you off?”

“As if, my pussy burns with an eternal flame.”

“Sounds like chlamydia… I would get that checked out.”

Adore sighed, exasperated.

“Courtney, you’re being a real bitch tonight, I don’t care what crawled up your butt and died but we’re doing shots, right here, right now, so you can stop sulking, Jesus Christ. It’s been weeks since Willam screwed you over and stole all of those files from Fame’s office!”

“Adore!! I told you that in confidence!”

“Sorry!”

***  
Pearl and Bible were standing together in the corner of the bar, people-watching, sipping on their drinks.

“So, how did that thing with Adore go?”

“She’s my girlfriend now, so joke’s on you, dumbass.”

“Your girlfriend, huh? That’s new. How’s that working out for you, then?” asked Bible, making a face at Pearl, definitely trying to shake her up.

“Goddamn it, Bible, I hate you so much sometimes.” Pearl reached for the silly white earmuffs Bible was wearing as part of her ‘high fashion snowman’ costume, and placed them around her neck.

“Good luck looking idiotic now that your earmuffs are missing, snowman.”

’'I’m a snowwoman.” Bible was unfazed; she just shrugged like nothing happened. Pearl expected her friend to be at least a little bit pissed. The blonde desperately wanted to feel something, so she looked across the room at where Adore was dancing with Courtney and Alaska, both dressed as Alice in Wonderland characters. Annoyance was growing in Pearl as she stared at Adore’s fiery red wig. Everything was a lie.

“What the fuck is wrong with you tonight?“ inquired Bible.

“Nothing.” Pearl quickly unzipped her fireman costume and let it fall to the floor, revealing a tight, black party dress underneath. She put Bible’s earmuffs on her ears, and she felt better already.

“Who are you supposed to be now?”

Reaching into Bible’s handbag, Pearl found a bright pink lipstick and put it on her lips make it clearer.

“I’m you! Now, do you wanna ditch this lameass party or what?”

“Finally! I’ve been ready ever since we came.”

Leaving the club with Bible, Pearl decided to worry about the consequences later, or not at all.

***

“Everyone! Scootch over! I brought someone” Violet smiled as she sat down at the VIP table everyone else was seated at, her arrival making Raven scoot over into Raja’s lap, which the two girls didn’t seem to mind at all, Boomer taking a seat next to Violet, his arm casually slung over the back of her chair.

“This is Boomer Banks, he’s a friend of mine!” Violet looked at Sutan, an apologetic smile on her lips. “I hope it’s okay that I asked him to join us? I do owe him a drink!”

Raven and Raja had been making out, but at the word ‘friend’, Raven peaked up. “Of course, girl!”

“Thank you, this is Raven, she’s my friend, this is Raja, one of my bosses and that’s Sutan. He’s…”

Sutan reached over the table, grabbing Boomer’s hand in a tight and what seemed to be an uncomfortable handshake.

“Sutan Amrull, Elite Management.” Sutan looked up and down Boomer’s costume. “What are you supposed to be then?”

“Don’t be silly, Sutan, he’s a gladiator!” Violet giggled into her drink, taking another sip.

“Hell yeah!” Boomer smiled brightly. “I love your Batman mask, it looks really rad.”

“Thanks…” Sutan leaned back in his chair, a slight scrowl on his face.

Raven looked at Boomer, a relaxed and happy smile on her lips.

“So how do you know Violet, Booms?”

Boomer laughed at Raven’s nickname for him. “We go waay back, Violet even has me on speed dial because she needs my services so often.”

“Shut up, I do not!” Violet giggled and nudged Boomer’s arm.

“Boomer owns his own company, he’s a contractor and he’s the one we usually use at Galactica whenever something is broken.”

“I thought I recognized you!” Raja smiled. “You fixed the door to my office three months ago.”

“Boomer Banks at your service, ma'am.”

“Boomer really saved me when the original contractors fell through at the last Galactica show, him and his team worked on it all night.” Violet smiled.

“I already told you, the only payment I want is a thank you dinner with a beautiful girl.”

“And money.”

“And money.” Violet and Boomer laughed together, and Sutan looked like a thundercloud, about to break into storm.

***

After hitting at least six different bars for at least six different drinks, and making out with at least six different people, Pearl and Bible were heavily leaning against each other on a bus stop bench, waiting for the bus to arrive.

“B-girl?”

“Yes, Pearlie?”

“Why are we waiting for a bus anyway? What happened to – what are they called – taxis? Cabs? The yellow ones.”

“Don’t be stupid, they don’t go at night.”

Pearl concentrated so hard her temple almost exploded. “You’re stupid. The buses don’t go at night. The yellow cars do.”

“Ooooh!” yelled Bible, making a passing group of people stare at them. “Fuck me, you’re right!” she shot up the bench and to the curb, waving like a maniac. A yellow cab stopped next to her almost immediately.

“You’re a magician!”

Half an hour later in Bible’s apartment, after Bible passed out in her bed, Pearl decided to drink an entire bottle of water to think a little bit clearer. Her phone was blowing up with text messages and missed calls from a certain pissed off girlfriend, but she decided to ignore that. Instead, she browsed through her contacts, looking up that one phone number she stole from Adore’s phone.

She typed out a short message with shaky hands and checked it twice for spelling mistakes.

Text: Happy Halloween!

Then, she quickly turned off the phone, tossing it to the table, and soon she was fast asleep on Bible’s couch.

***

“Sutan, Sutan, stop.” Violet moaned a little, the two of them grinding against each other at the dance floor, Sutan’s hands tight on her hips, his fingers digging in.

“Sutan, stop, please, you can’t leave any marks here.” Violet took Sutan’s hands and removed them from her body.

“Lovely eyes, please, you look so good-”

“No, we’re here to have fun with Raven and to celebrate Halloween with her. I’m not going to have sex with you in some dirty club bathroom, that is disgusting.”

Sutan groaned. “As soon as we get home?”

Violet laughed and gave him a quick, sweet kiss before she got out of his arms, her hips still moving to the beat of the music. “Who says I’m going home with you? It’s not like you own me.” Violet flicked the bell on her collar, giving him a last smile before she turned around, searching for Raven, the girls quickly starting to dance together, Raven’s hands now placed where Sutan’s were only moments before.

Sutan was left behind, a look of utter disbelief on his face as Violet had not only sensed his jealousy, but played right into it. Sutan watched Raven and Violet dance, his eyes narrowing as a smile appeared on his lips. If Violet wanted to play, well, so did he.

***

Halloweens at the bar were always busy. Laila was running between tables, balancing her tray, envying all the people who were enjoying their alcoholic drinks. She would rather be watching a Tim Burton movie in her bathtub, eating Doritos, but she was here, dressed up as sexy Beetlejuice, scheduled to perform later tonight. At least she had comfortable platform shoes on.

“I’m taking a break!” she said to her colleague at half past one as he signaled that it’s fine and took over. Laila disappeared in a staff room behind the bar, opening her bottle of water and pulling a sandwich out of her bag.

While she browsed through Instagram to kill time, her phone beeped, announcing a new text message.

Text: Happy Halloween!

The sender was an unknown number. Laila wrecked her brain, trying to place this particular string of numbers somewhere in her memory, but she knew that was futile. She decided to text back.

Text: Trick or treat! Who are you?

During ten more minutes of her break, she didn’t get a reply. By four in the morning, when Laila was getting off her shift, the mystery texter still didn’t reveal their name.

***  
“Did you enjoy it tonight?” Sutan flipped Violet over, letting her scramble to her hands and knees, the girl giggling.

“Mmh.”

“Did you enjoy being on display, teasing me, not letting me touch you?” Sutan’s hands glided over Violet’s back, all he could focus on being the dazed expression on Violet’s face. “Did you enjoy taunting me?”

Violet looked back at Sutan, a teasing smile on her face.

“Answer me, Violet, did you like playing with me?”

Violet giggled, and before Sutan thought it through, he had slapped Violet’s right cheek, the smack sounding incredibly loud to his ears, his palm leaving behind a perfect mark.

“Ah!” It was as if someone had cut the strings on a puppet as Violet practically collapsed onto her forearms, a loud moan leaving her.

“Fuck, fuck, Violet, are you okay?” Sutan had pulled away as if he had just been burned.

“More.” Violet’s voice was so low that Sutan wasn’t sure what he had just heard.

“… What?”

“Do it again… Please.”

Sutan felt like the entire world was frozen in place as he raised his hand, hitting Violet again, another broken moan escaping her as a full body shudder went through her and in that moment, it was as if a dam broke inside both of them. Sutan was rhythmically hitting Violet again and again, his cock painfully hard inside his pants, Violet whimpering, keening and moaning with pleasure at every single hit until Sutan couldn’t take it anymore, only barely remembering to put on a condom as he grabbed Violet’s hips and fucked hard into her, the heat of her ass against him making him come embarrassingly quickly, Violet following shortly after as Sutan brutally attacked her clit with his fingers, the two of them collapsing onto the bed together.  
  
***

Sutan loved playing with Violet’s hair, the black strands always gliding easily through his tattooed fingers. Touching Violet in general was amazing. She was always so soft, always so welcoming, even when he could so easily count her ribs and her hipbone stuck out.

“Ouch, watch it.” Violet smiled, still draped over Sutan’s chest as his hand rested on her ass. “I’m sore,” and in that moment, last night came crashing back over Sutan and he pulled his hand back, as if he had been burned.

“Violet, I… I’m so-”

But Violet took his hand and gently placed it on her ass again, a small satisfied sigh leaving her as she settled in, her eyes closing, a sweet kiss getting pressed against Sutan’s chest.

She never stopped surprising him. He squeezed her cheek and yet another happy sound left her, her body practically melting as she became limp.

“Violet, are you… Are you okay? After last night, I mean?”

Sutan could see she was happy, it was practically radiating off of her, but he had to be sure.

“Are you?” Violet sat up on her elbows, her perfect breasts, which were now right in front of his face, a momentary distraction. “Well… I can’t say I expected it. I’ve never done anything like that before but… It was… Nice, really nice.” Violet blushed a little, but she kept eye contact with him. “And… Well… It feels kind of good.” Violet smiled shyly. “Like, you know those times when you get really into it and really…You know?”

“Fuck you?”

“Yes.” Violet laughed, still a little embarrassed. “It’s like that, but almost… Better, I think. It’s always good when you, you know, and I’m sore the next day and I feel all warm inside and it’s like it’s our secret… I like that a lot.”

Sutan couldn’t help but lean in, his and Violet’s lips meeting in a kiss, before he grabbed her arms and rolled her around, her legs falling open immediately, letting him slot in between them.

“You’re amazing.”

“I know.”

***

“Courtney.”

Fame sighed, her fingers drumming on her desk, the clack sound of her nails only making her more annoyed. Where was the girl?

“Courtney! Come in here right now!”

“Yes ma’am!”

Fame could hear scramble, and saw the blonde appear at her door moments later. Fame looked her up and down, a slight frown at her face as she took in Courtney’s appearance, the other looking like a sad little mouse now that she no longer had her bright pink hair.

“Courtney, I can’t say I’m proud of you, but you have done an adequate job during this last stretch of your training period. I just got the last confirmations from Trixie, and from tomorrow and onward you will be my only assistant as Violet starts in design. I hope you won’t disappoint me.”

“I’ll do my best, ma’am.”

Fame sighed again, but she pulled herself together, ending the conversation with a smile.

“That’s all.”

***

“Hold on!” called Raja as she walked to the door of her condo.

She was expecting her brother Sutan to come over for dinner and drinks. It had been quite a few days since the Halloween party, and he had been acting… weird, to put it mildly, but now it seemed like he was finally ready to talk about it.

“Hey,” answered Sutan as she opened the door to reveal him casually leaning on the frame with his hands in his pockets, looking a little sheepish.

“Couldn’t get enough of my beauty? Had to come back for more, dearest brother?” Raja laughed, stepping aside so he could walk inside.

“Oh please, if that were the case, I’d just stand in the bathroom all day to stare at myself in the mirror.” Sutan smiled, kicking his shoes off and grabbing his slippers from the bin before he walked into the living room, sitting down on one of the couches with the comfort that only came from constant visits.

It was one of the perks of living in the same building as your birth mate and best friend: they already knew you so well that you didn’t have to get dressed up or wear real shoes in order to go visit them.

It wasn’t strange for either twin to show up at the other’s apartment in a bathrobe and flip flops in order to get another roll of paper towels, a cup of coffee, a pair of extra socks or carrying plates of food.

“Are those the new shoes you got in Paris? They make you look massive; like the tin man meets the jolly green giant.” He commented as he looked his twin sister up and down. Though his sister was already tall at 6 feet, her new Giuseppe’s boosted her up to his eye level of 6'4’’.

“Fuck you.” Raja started as she flipped him off while walking over to the wet bar in the corner of the living room to get the shoebox and a chilled bottle of wine for the both of them “And yes, yes they are, but I’m not sure if I’m going to keep them or not. They are cute though.” She finished as she sat down next to her brother throwing her bare long legs across his lap while looking at the shoes in question.

“Well, you might as well keep them. Imagine the fit you’ll throw if you want them again and you can’t find a new pair, leaving me to help you out once again.” He replied while taking the shoes off her feet and putting them back in the box that was sitting on the floor between them. “Where is Raven? I would have thought she would be taking selfies with her new stuff, didn’t you two have a date yesterday?”

“Oh, she already did that with some of the stuff, but she’s not here right now, she’s on her way to some TV show taping,” she answered while grabbing a bag of macaroons from the coffee table, popping one in her mouth before she offered one to Sutan as well, who ate it out of her hand, Raja switching to Indonesian as she asked Sutan why he was really there, their birth language a habit for them whenever they got real with each other.

[“So what’s wrong? I know you didn’t come here up here to talk about the weather, current events and the price of tea in China.“]

[“Perceptive as always, Rajie.”] Sutan smiled teasingly. [“I need your advice.”] He started as he began to massage his sister’s feet out of habit. [“I’m… I… I am…at a loss.”]

[“What’s going on, TanTan?”] Raja asked, concern clear in her voice, while taking a swig from the bottle of white wine before handing it to her brother, holding it for him.

[“How much do you remember of Halloween?”] He said before taking a drink.

[“Why are you asking me that? You’re starting to freak me out.”]

[“Do you remember when we were sitting in the booth at the club?”] He asked, scooting over slightly as Raja began to run her fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck.

[“Yeah…Violet came over with that fine specimen of male athleticism.”] She sighed while feeding her brother another macaroon, since he was still massaging her feet. [“He was cute…I think his name was Boomer.“] Raja finished while tapping her chin in concentration.

[“Well, in my head, she was a little, how do you say…close to him,”] said Sutan while looking everywhere but his sister’s eyes. [“I… I’ve never really… I felt so, agitated. It wasn’t at her, not at all, we just had that fight but… It felt like she was doing it on purpose.”]

[“You know how Violet gets when she’s drunk.”]

[“I do, but… I…”]

[“I see.”] Started Raja lazily as she took another gulp of the shared wine. [“You’re jealous and you’ve never been in this position.”] She continued with a frown as she tightened her hand in the hair at the nape of his neck slightly.

[“But you know me, Ra.”] Started Sutan whose hands started working up his sister’s calf, as he felt relief wash over him. He has wanted to talk to Raja about how he had spanked Violet, how much he had enjoyed it. It had scared him shitless in the moment since he had never done anything like that with a girl who hadn’t explicitly consented beforehand, Violet’s enthusiasm the following morning making him feel a lot better about it, but even then it was almost impossible for him to share it with Raja.

[“We both know that I never get jealous.. Never have, never will, but that night… It was like I had to fight for control.”] He finished before drinking the last bit of the wine, suddenly feeling more comfortable now that the alcohol was setting into his bloodstream. [“I didn’t like how he was so comfortable with her, and that’s not the kind of man I want to be.]

Raja to pluck his nose in annoyance. [“Sutan Amrull. You are so used to being "the pretty one” in the relationship, the one the other is chasing after, that you can’t handle feeling a pesky little emotion like jealousy. You’re such a crybaby.”] Raja smiled, pinching his nose again. [“I’m glad your brain isn’t total mush, because I doubt that Violet would bring an old flame to sit at the table with her boyfriend, his sister and her fiancée.”]

Sutan sighed, [“But what do I do?”] He asked. [“I don’t like not having the upper hand, or being in situations where I don’t have at least a little bit of control. How do you deal with it?”]

[“Well, you are a bit of a control freak.”]

[“I am not.“]

[“Are you telling me that you’re not a control freak, but that you don’t like feeling as if you don’t have complete control?”] Raja said as she scrolled through her phone. [“You should seriously work on that.”]

[“Well, that’s why I’m here now, isn’t it?“]

[“That’s only because you know I would never let it go, I’ve seen how weird you’ve been acting.”] Raja shot back, cutting her eyes at her brother who was draining the bottle of wine. [“I know you, Sutan Amrull, you wouldn’t have said anything to Violet about how you felt at the time, but you wouldn’t have forgotten about it.“] Sutan felt himself freeze, scared that Raja had looked right through him, but then she continued as she went back to massaging his scalp with one hand and scrolling through her phone with the other. ["My suggestion is, reflect on where that internalized aggression is rooted, take some time and work that out before you make any hasty decisions.”]

[“I guess you’re right.”] He sighed as he closed his eyes from the sensations from his sister’s ministrations.

[“I’m always right about these things.”] Said Raja as she took a picture of her and Sutan with his eyes closed, giving him a kissy face. [“Uh, this turned out good, I’m sending it to mani.”] She finished as she sent the picture off to their mother.

[“Can you ask her if she is still making rendang this Sunday? Tell her I’m hungry.”] Sutan whined slightly.

Both twins were always looking forward to dinners and visiting their mother, who they had relocated to a house out in Long Island a few years back, so she could have her garden and grow her flowers, while her kids were still nearby.

It was only a little over a year ago since Raja had paid to have her kitchen renovated, since their mother’s old gas stove had broken. She hadn’t asked for a brand new kitchen, she still appreciated it. In their mother’s eyes, Raja and Sutan were the model children, always making her proud since they were on their best behaviour around her.

[“I have some in the fridge, I’ll warm some up for lunch.“] Said Raja while looking over to Sutan to gauge his reaction.

["Oh my God, Pu.”] Groaned Sutan. [“That sounds absolutely amazing. Please, Putri, I need some of mani’s food in my life.”]

[“No problem, Anada.”] Said Raja as she swung her legs off of his lap and got up. [“After all that honesty, you deserve a nice big helping of it with some rice.”] She finished as she ruffled his hair as she started to walk away.

[“Have I ever told you that I love you?”] Called Sutan as he watched his sister saunter away towards the kitchen.

[“Yes, but you can say it again!”]

[“I love you!”] Sutan laughed as Raja flipped him off before she dissapeared.

***

Katya was sitting in her craft room, working on her lesson plan when she looked up at her wall calendar to check the date, her eyes falling on the big red circle she had marked on the next day.

“Oh no…”

***  
Trixie had been lying in bed, watching Life In the Dreamhouse on his computer, when the door to his and Katya’s room got slammed open.

“Baby!” Katya looked completely panicked, her hair messed up, loosely collected in a bun, a pencil stuck behind her ear, her hands covered in ink stains.

“I just remembered it’s Violet’s first day in design tomorrow! How did I forget? Why didn’t you remind me, it’s tomorrow and we have nothing planned for her!”

“Don’t worry, I got it!” Trixie reassured her, wandering over to his desk, his bright purple pyjamas making Katya smile even in the middle of her breakdown, and pulled out a huge, framed sheet of pink paper from one of the drawers.

The paper was decorated in loud and amazing colors. “Good luck Violet!”, it said on the top in beautiful, glittery letters, the entire page filled with pictures of Violet and all her roommates that Trixie had printed from the internet, and some photographs of Violet solo, wearing the pieces she designed herself. The central photo was of Violet with Katya and Trixie on Halloween.

“Did you make this?”

“I’m taking offence at that, this is a Mattel original, I poured my heart into this.”

Trixie smiled as Katya was hanging on to his shoulder, moved by her fiancé’s work. “Our babies! They grow up so fast!”

“They really do. Let’s put a nice ribbon on it, and then we can wake up Violet with a special gift tomorrow.”

“You’re the best!” Katya kissed Trixie’s cheek. “I’m gonna make her lunch for work, and maybe bake these cookies she likes? You know, the oatmeal ones, she ate one of those once, so she has to like them!”

“That’s a great idea, baby. Can I go back to bed now?”

Katya smiled devilishly. “Not unless you fuck me first.”

“… Are you turned on by the fact that I made a collage?”

“Maybe.”

“Good enough for me.”

***

Laila was wiping down a table, grateful for the fact that all the mess, noise and chaos of Halloween was finally long gone, when she heard someone calling her name.

“Hi! Laila, hi! Remember me? I’m Pearl. Adore’s – friend. Adore introduced us.”

Of course Laila remembered, how could she forget? The blonde girl was gorgeous, towering over short Laila in her heels, smelling of perfume Laila could never afford, and yet she still seemed nervous, clutching her iPhone in her hand.

“Sure I remember you! So, what’s up?” she asked.

Pearl blinked. Once, twice. Seconds kept passing.

“Pearl?”

“Oh, nothing.” Pearl finally snapped back into consciousness. “I was just, here, and saw you, thought I’d say hi. I didn’t know you work behind the bar.”

“Yeah. I’m not making any money singing, so a girl needs a job that pays the bills. I used to dance here, too.” Laila gestured to the pole in the corner of the bar.

“What?” Pearl was confused.

“I was a stripper, dude. I still do that from time to time, but not regularly anymore.”

“Oh. That’s cool,” Pearl smiled and drank a sip of her beer. She had such a beautiful smile.

“If you wanna, like, hang out, maybe eat something together, I get off in an hour or so.” Laila highly doubted that a girl who looked like a fucking high fashion model would say yes to that, she was just throwing an idea off-handedly. She just didn’t want to come back to her empty room after work.

Pearl had another ‘connection lost’ moment before she answered, “Yes, yeah, I’ll wait for you, sure!”

***  
When Laila’s shift was finally over and Pearl reminded her they were supposed to go out for some food, even though it was almost middle of the night, Laila was honestly surprised. Pearl had to wait for almost two hours until Laila was done, and she spent the time sitting by the bar, nervously drumming her nails on the tabletop, checking her phone every once in a while, sending Laila smiles that seemed almost shy. It was 3AM when they left the bar and got hot dogs from a street stand. They took a walk afterwards, talking about everything and nothing much: the New York commute, their favorite takeaway places, concerts Laila went to and movies that were nominated for an Oscar.

Laila watched Pearl with growing amusement and growing fondness for the tall, skinny girl as well. Pearl had a breathtaking face and posture of a model, she was wearing clothing items that probably cost twice the worth of Laila’s monthly rent. When Laila found out Pearl’s job is mostly going to parties, meeting people and observing new trends, she wondered how somebody so tightly wound all the time could do such work.

It was only two hours and ten vodka shots later when Laila encountered Pearl’s real personality.

They got into a club (Pearl just smiled at the bouncer, who smiled back and immediately let them in) and they conquered the dancefloor, Pearl matching Laila step to step and move to move, laughing like a maniac, draping her arms over Laila’s shoulders, letting the short girl hang onto her waist. Laila could feel the heat radiating off Pearl’s body, very close to her own, and she couldn’t help but feel smitten by her new friend. She was glad the alcohol gave her the courage to even dance with Pearl in the first place, let alone cuddle so close to the other girl.

When they left the club, Laila feeling light-headed and giddy, she was shocked to realize Pearl was holding her hand and didn’t let go while they walked the streets to Central Park. The sun was about to rise and Pearl’s hand felt correct in Laila’s.

“Have you ever been in love?” asked Pearl, drunkenly swaying in her platform shoes, staring ahead at the park pond in front of them.

Yes, answered Laila in her head. Yes, a long time ago, and she was beautiful. She was brighter than the sun and when she smiled, she was the only light Laila ever needed. She took Laila’s hand when Laila was lost, she showed her the world. She took care of Laila, and Laila took care of her, well, she tried.

She was Laila’s best friend, her everything, and then her nothing.

“I have, once. What about you?”

“I think I’m in love now,” said Pearl, and time stopped as she reached for the front of Laila’s jacket to drag her closer and close the space between them, laying her lips on Laila’s.

This came as a complete shock to Laila, but she wasted no time climbing up on her toes to be even closer to Pearl, wrapping her arm around the taller girl’s neck, tasting all the sparks flying between them. Pearl had her hands in Laila’s hair, drunk desperation of the blonde so endearing and adorable.

“Wait, Pearl, wait wait wait.”

“What? What’s happening?”

“Nothing, just – come here.”

Laila took Pearl by the hand and lead her to the nearest bench. As soon as Pearl sat down, Laila climbed onto Pearl’s lap and straddled her.

Pearl’s lipstick was smeared. Damn, they weren’t drunk enough for this.

“Okay, better now.” Throwing caution to the wind, Laila kissed Pearl again, losing herself in the moment.


	13. Chapter 13

Violet walked into design, the whole world seeming bright, happiness practically radiating off her. She couldn’t believe it, this was the first day in the rest of her life.

“I’m finally here,” said Violet softly to herself as she took an initial sweep of the space that would be her new home.

The design floor was a myriad of various fabrics in countless colors and prints with a multitude of textures to choose from.

Dress forms, in an assortment of sizes, lined the walls under large glass windows that brought in natural light and a beautiful view, of the east side, of Central Park.

The floor had neat rows of long work tables each with their own sewing machine, hanging dress form and a rolling stool.

Some of the tables were empty, while others had stacks of bolts of fabric on them with groups of people sorting them by color. Violet could only recognize a few of the people there, but there was Gia who was miraculously still working in design after her screw up with Fame in the fall. In the corner was Shane, his desk filled with papers and a giant old fashioned calculator, his fingers intertwined with his girlfriend, Betty, who was amazingly artistic.

There were also a bunch of people working laughing and talking amongst each other that Violet didn’t recognize, all of them working at their tables on various projects. All in all, this was heaven for Violet.

“Hey Violet!” Trixie smiled brightly as he saw her walk into the room. “Welcome!! I’m so happy to have you here!” He said as he gave her a big hug and a smile.

Violet laughed at the man’s excitement. She couldn’t quite believe that the bundle of joy was her new boss.

“Thank you… I’m just glad to be here.”

“We are going to have so much fun.” Trixie started. “But first… Hey everyone!” Trixie yelled, catching the attention of everyone in the room as he turned to face them.

“This is Violet, most of you probably already know her as Fame’s assistant!” he said, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “Say hi,” he said to her softly.

“Hi,” Violet said, now slightly nervous at all the faces now looking at them.

“She is going to be working with us now here in the best department of Galactica!” he said with a smile, earning a laugh. “I want you all to make her feel welcome and settled since we all know what it was like to be new,” he finished with a lot of them looking on with slight smiles and waves.

“I don’t think that was really necessary Trixie,” said Violet, aware of all the eyes staring at her as she waved before Trixie took her on a tour of the department.

“Aaaaaaaand this, is your desk!” Trixie smiled brightly as he showed Violet her place. “This is Manila, your deskmate.”

“Hey gurl!” Manila rolled her chair out, grabbing Violet’s hand to greet her before she returned to her work.

“So, you have the morning off to decorate it, and after lunch we’re having cake to celebrate!”

“.. Excuse me what?” Violet looked at Trixie, a surprised look on her face.

“The morning off, we wouldn’t want to overwork you! Here in design we take our time, nothing good ever comes out of being rushed.”

“.. Oh… Oh, okay.” Violet smiled. “That’s… Nice… Thank you.”

“No problem! If you need anything, anything at all, come to my office and we’ll take care of it.” Trixie gave Violet yet another hug before he walked to his office.

“Sure thing boss, I’ll… start decorating my desk then…”

***

“Hey, Kim! You’re finally here!”

Trixie smiled at his friend as he took two quite heavy paper bags from her hands. “Sorry I’m late! The line at Chipotle was crazy.”

“But did you get everything?” Trixie asked with excitement in his eyes and Kim smiled triumphantly.

“You bet.”

As two of the very few Galactica employees who actually enjoyed eating; Kim Chi and Trixie had a tradition of eating lunch together couple of times a week. The tradition blossomed into mutual understanding, and then into a friendship.

“How’s everything been lately?” asked Kim, setting her burrito bowl on Trixie’s office table, moving a stack of papers out of the way first. “Feels like I haven’t seen you in forever. How’s your fiancée?” Kim nudged Trixie between the ribs, making him laugh.

“Katya is fine! She’s working her ass off at school like always, but she’s fine! We’ve all been super excited about Violet moving to design.”

“Oh right!” Kim sat up in her chair, enjoying the extra guacamole in her food. “Is it today? How is she doing?”

Trixie’s smile went away. “I’m not sure yet. She seems to be the one who’s the least excited about the transfer, you know what I mean?”

“Whaaaat? She’s not happy? You showed me her stuff and it was great, I thought she was going to be over the moon!”

“She seems – I don’t know, confused? Maybe it’s the first day. Also Pearl’s been acting super weird and Max is just walking around staring at his phone. It’s a weird time, Kim.”

“I’m sorry to hear that, Trix.”

“Let’s not talk about me anymore! How are you, girl? You look fabulous, new hair?”

“Yes!” Kim smiled, telling Trixie a story of the cute hairdresser in the new salon she went to, not omitting the funny parts caused by her awkwardness and poor grasp of the Southern accent the hairdresser spoke in. By the end of the anecdote, Trixie was doubling over in laughter.

“Okay, Kim, you absolutely HAVE TO come to Violet’s welcome party this afternoon and tell this to everybody. The guys will die.”

Kim pulled her lips together, pretending she’s considering the offer when she already knew perfectly well what she was going to do. “But, will there be cupcakes?” she asked in a mock-serious tone.

“Girl. Seriously. I’ve ordered six different flavors.”

“In that case, you can count on me! I’m joking. I’d come anyway.”

Kim Chi slapped Trixie’s knee and they went back to their food, chatting freely.

***

Walking into the restroom on the design floor, the last thing Alyssa expected to see was a pacing Violet. She looked at the young girl who seemed more frazzled in this moment than she had since Fashion Week when Courtney misplaced a key to one of Fame’s design safes.

“Hey baby girl, what’s going on?” Alyssa asked, her voice making Violet jump. Violet was totally prepared to go off on her intruder for calling her ‘baby’ until she noticed who the voice belonged to. Immediately, Violet froze and put on her perfectly practiced work face.

“Hi Alyssa. Sorry, I was just leaving.” Before Violet could even take a step, Alyssa had her arm around her.

“That right. You’re leaving to come to my office for coffee.” Violet tried to protest but was firmly shushed by Alyssa. “Don’t try it girl, you won’t win this fight.”

Violet chuckled at that. Even though she had mostly worked with Alyssa, as a proxy for Fame, Violet knew that Alyssa always won in these situations. She was basically the mom of half the Galactica staff. Gia and Laganja actually called her ‘mama’ when they were in casual, relaxed settings. While Alyssa was one of the fiercest business minds, she had the biggest heart and couldn’t stand to see the people she considered her kids hurting.

***

“Did you like the movie?”

Adore looked up at Pearl, a big smile on her face.

Pearl has texted Adore almost out of the blue earlier that day and asked her if she wanted to meet up. Pearl had asked what Adore wanted to do most in the entire world, and the answer to that was to see the newest Disney movie which Pearl had reluctantly agreed to.

“Oh, yeah, it was fine.”

They had split a popcorn, Adore leaning against Pearls shoulder throughout the entire movie while Pearl had tried not to shrug her off. Pearl was going to do things right for once. She was going to break up with Adore properly, like an adult.

“Adore… I, I have something I have to tell you.”

Adore looked up at Pearl, a smile on her face as she tried to hail them a cab. “What’s up baby? Are you okay?”

Pearl took a deep breath, Adore looked so happy, her eyes filled with a bright light, Adore seeming every bit the 21 year old she was, and Pearl simply couldn’t do it.

“You look good today.”

“Awh, thank you Pearliepoo, I love you.”

“I love you too…”

***

Text: “Want to meet up for coffee?”

Text: “Scored seats at that new musical you like. Do you want to meet up?”

Text: “Jinkx, are you ignoring me?”

Text: “Jinkx, come on. What’s wrong?”

Text: “Jinkxy I miss you… Where are you?”

Ivy checked her phone again, but there were still no new messages. Jinkx kept ignoring her for no reason ever since the Halloween party, and Ivy had not a hint of idea what in the world went wrong. She kept texting her friend for over a week to no avail; she even tried calling her, but that also went unanswered.

Ivy sighed with worry. She was missing Jinkx a lot; they’ve been spending a lot of time together lately, just hanging out, and Ivy though they had a great connection. They basically became best friends in a very short time. Why did Jinkx want to end it? Maybe.… maybe something bad happened to her?

A new fear overcame Ivy, as she quickly stood up from her desk and went to find Alaska to make sure Jinkx was still alive.

***

“So is my new apartment ready?”

Naomi smiled brightly. She couldn’t believe it, she was in the greatest city in the world, sitting in her boss’s office at Elite, about to get her keys to her first adult apartment.

“It’s not your apartment Naomi, It’s a model apartment so you’ll share it with four other girls, but I promise you, it’ll be fun.” Sutan smiled too. “I can remember when I first moved to the city.”

“And when was that? 1920?”

Sutan laughed. “Kitty got claws, you better pack away that attitude, because you’re going to have roommates at the apartment.”

“Roommates aren’t fitting for a princess.”

“You are no princess, but you might be a queen, some day.” Sutan smiled as he pushed a stack of paper over the table so Naomi could see them as well. “Now this is an overview of your expenses for the apartment, I have mapped everything you need out in here, your food budget is managed by us, just until your 18th birthday. Remember that your grandmother is still your legal guardian.”

Naomi bit her lip as she looked up at Sutan, she had worn her very best dress that day, making sure that the cut showed off her boobs.

“Could you explain this again, please?” Naomi smiled sweetly as she tucked a little of her hair behind her ear.

“Really? I just explained this to you.”

“It’s not my fault that it’s complicated...”

Sutan sighed before he stood up and walked over; leaning over the back of Naomi’s chair so he could show her what he was talking about while he explained it.

“The important thing is this part-” but Naomi wasn’t listening as the smell of Sutan’s perfume and cigarettes filled her nose; his deep voice making her clench her thighs a little closer together as she focused on his hands.

***  
  
Alyssa opened the door to her office, ushering Violet inside and onto the couch with a smile on her lips. “Coffee, tea, redbull?” Alyssa asked, going to her little kitchen area, a perk of being head of a department, cracking open a redbull for herself.

“Oh, no thanks, I’m fine. I really should get back to…” As Violet paused, Alyssa noticed the strange look on Violet’s face yet again, as if the girl was trying to figure out what her next word should be.

“Tea it is then.” Alyssa flipped her kettle on, letting a momentary silence take over the room. As resident mom of Galactica, Alyssa was quick to make the beverage of the soul and it wasn’t long before she had a cup of tea in her hand. She would have of course preferred it to be the sweet tea of her childhood; as Alyssa hailed from Austin, Texas, but one has to do when one worked in fashion.

Alyssa turned to see Violet on the couch, looking at her hands that were twisting on her lap. She looked lost, something Alyssa had not seen Violet be since her first few weeks at the company.

Alyssa was gagged. For something to throw Violet off this much it had to have been big. Violet didn’t blink or hesitate at any task, which was something Alyssa admired about the stubborn, tightly wound girl that she had instantly adopted as her own the moment Violet stepped through the glass doors for the first time.

“Okay girl. What’s going on? I got my gogo juice and we’re not leaving until we have a proper little kiki.” Violet took a deep breath, a small smile on her face however at Alyssa’s peculiar way of speaking.

“It’s just… not what I expected.”

“Baby, it’s your first day. No need to stress yourself. You’re going to have plenty of time to ease your way into design; and you’re going to kill any assignment thrown to you. I’ve seen your sketches, they’re fantastic, and if it’s too much, just tell Trixie you need more time to…”

“No, no, That’s the problem, I-” And suddenly Violet was off, the words rushing out of her mouth.

Alyssa was lucky she constantly listened to Laganja and Gia, because Violet was speaking a mile a minute, as if she was scared she would never get the chance to speak again.

“On my first day as Fame’s assistant, I got a list of things to do, that was so long I was in the office until 3am, and every day since then I have done nothing but prove myself, constantly racing against time. I know I can complete any task thrown at me, no matter how impossible it seems. Fame had me running around as if there were twelve of me, and it was hard but rewarding, and the challenge made it worth it when it was just the two of us…” Violet took a small break, catching her breath. To Alyssa it almost seemed like Violet missed being with Fame.

“And now, now, on my first day in design Trixie throws me a welcome party and tells me to “chill” around the office and personalize my work station…” Violet looked at Alyssa, an expression of what seemed like fright in her eyes. “What did I do to make him think I couldn’t handle working? I have no assignments, while my colleagues were all slaving away on different productions. He even told me that I wouldn’t even have to come in every day, that I should take it easy for a while. That I could sketch and come up with ideas at home, or at the park and just present on Friday but I haven’t gotten any instruction on what I should be designing for. Why would I go to a park? I want to work, not look at flowers. Why doesn’t he think I can handle the work? I want to be here, I want to be here more than anything else, why can’t he see that?” Violet looked into Alyssa’s eyes, begging her for an answer.

Alyssa was shockingly speechless. She could not believe that this young girl was upset that she wasn’t being yelled at and run ragged. One would think after being Fame’s assistant for so long, Violet would be excited for a time to decompress and just work on sketches and see that work didn’t have to be stress and 14-hour work days. Alyssa took Violet’s hand before speaking.

“You may be the craziest person I’ve ever met.”

Alyssa had a smile on her face, and by Violet’s shocked sound, it was the last thing she had expected Alyssa to say.

“There is not a single person in this entire company who doesn’t firmly believe you could handle any job thrown at you.”

“Okay…” Violet sounded hesitant, their hands still intertwined. “But if he believes in me why isn’t he-”

“Violet, stop and let me finish before you get worked up again.” Violet sighed, but nodded. “Trixie is your boss now and I don’t know if you noticed,” Alyssa smiled, clearly teasing Violet, “Trixie and Fame are very different people. Their personalities and work styles aren’t the same, not to mention… Fame wouldn’t be caught dead in one of those fanny packs.” Violet laughed, and Alyssa nudged her, thankful the she managed to pull a laugh out of the girl. “Trixie doesn’t do stressful, you should know that already. He wants you to go out and explore, and take inspiration from the world around you. Nothing good comes from being be stuck in an office at all times where your energy could be hindered.”

Violet seemed to take that in for a moment. Hearing someone she respected tell her that this wasn’t an attack on her; to hear it from Alyssa of all people, whom she respected and cared for, was exactly what she needed.

Violet knew she overreacted, but she had been with Fame for so long, had fought her way through internship after internship on top of school before that being faced with the completely different working environment scared her, and had shook her up in a way she hadn’t thought possible anymore.

“Think of it this way. I, Alyssa Edwards, am personally challenging you, Violet Chachki, to try Trixie’s way of working. See what happens, see how your work turns out and go from there.” Alyssa could tell by Violet’s face this was the correct way to go. Nothing was going to make Violet back away from a challenge.

“You’re on.” Violet reached out and pulled Alyssa into a hug, which Alyssa returned squeezing her tight. “Oh my God, stop, you’re wrinkling my outfit!” Violet screeched through a laugh as she tried to pull away. Alyssa however just held her tighter and began swaying her back and forth.

“Get yourself together, you have work to do!”

“Yes, mother.” Violet said, rolling her eyes trying to muster up her best bitch face, but she couldn’t keep the twinkle out of her eye.

“Oh girl, you’re trying it.” Alyssa smiled as she watched a much more relaxed and dare she say happy Violet move to leave her office. “You should join me and the girls for lunch soon.”

“Really?”

“Yes!”

“I’d love to, thank you.” Violet smiled as she exited the office, determined to try it Trixie’s way even if it killed her.

***

Alaska could feel her hands shake as she tried to wash the teacups her and Ivy had just used in the small communal sink in the Makeup department. Ivy had come to her, clearly distressed, and even if it made Alaska’s heart ache whenever she looked at Ivy, the redhead’s beauty a constant reminder of all the reasons she herself could never get with Jinkx. Alaska was nothing if not a good friend, so she opened her office and arms up to Ivy, letting the woman ramble off all of her insecurities and her worries about her lost friendship with Jinkx.

It didn’t click for Alaska until Ivy said the two small words “my boyfriend” and Alaska hadn’t been able to stop shaking since then. If Ivy had a boyfriend it meant she had a chance with Jinkx. If Ivy had a boyfriend, it meant she wasn’t a threat anymore. If Ivy had a boyfriend, all Alaska had to do was gather the courage that had left her almost a month ago, and finally ask Jinkx if she wanted to get coffee with her. Alaska took a deep breath, determination settling in her stomach as she decided to text Jinkx and face her fears.

***

“Come see me perform tomorrow.”

Laila had suggested it offhandedly, maybe as a joke, but it was a command from Laila, so Pearl came. It wasn’t like it was anything new for her, being in a bar on a Thursday.

She made a few quick posts to her Twitter and Instagram while in the cab, uploaded pictures and set up a quick queue on Twitter so that she could blow everything off and just watch Laila perform. Pearl’s phone pinged as Adore sent another text, the messages ending in ‘I love you’. Pearl knew she had gotten herself into this mess, she knew it was her fault, but she wasn’t going to deal with it. Not tonight.

As always, the music in the club was blaring. Pearl looked around for Laila, but couldn’t see her; she must’ve been backstage, preparing for the show. Onstage, there was a girl dancing on the pole; in a different time, Pearl would stare at her with growing arousal, but right now, she barely noticed her, too nervous about meeting Laila.

All these sudden disgusting feelings really made Pearl hate herself.

The music went quieter, the stripper took a graceful bow, picked up her bra and left. Pearl paid for a drink, swirling the straw around with her tongue, while Tainted Love by Marilyn Manson started playing and a new, demanding presence claimed the small stage.

In harsh lights, Laila’s deep red hair took on a eerie shade. She was wearing thigh-high leather boots, black panties and a leather jacket, no hint of a smile on her face as she started swaying with the music, moves sultry and cat-like.

Pearl opened her eyes wide; she couldn’t believe it. She genuinely thought she came here to see Laila sing; she thought the girl wasn’t stripping anymore. Pearl was definitely not prepared for the moment Laila started unzipping her leather jacket while sucking on her index finger. She had a bejeweled black bra underneath. As soon as the jacket was on the floor, she attacked the pole, strong legs wrapping around the metal, hands grabbing it and climbing until she was high enough to suspend herself on just her legs, throwing her head back, sending bedroom eyes to the audience.

Holy hell. Pearl could feel herself getting wet. She has been with so many girls; some of them were hot, some of them even beautiful, but nobody ever took her breath away to the rhythm of a Marilyn Manson song. Laila was on the floor, throwing her body around, legs in the air, then whipping her hair.

If Adore ever considered herself punk rock, she was PG-13 at the most. This, this was NC-17. This was the real deal. Laila was biting her lips and noticed Pearl in the crowd, sending her a wild wink while she slid her hand down her body.

The song was almost over and Pearl was losing her mind. Laila reached for the clasp of her bra, and unhooked it with one hand behind her back, all while not missing one bit of the music.

Pearl kept looking at Laila’s face, unable to breathe, unable to look down, but her habits took better of her, and she looked. Laila took another swing on the pole, her naked breasts full and gorgeous, as the song came to an end abruptly. She didn’t smile, didn’t bow, didn’t pick up her stuff, she just turned around and left.

And Pearl was so, so fucking wet and horny.

Nobody else was taking the stage; apparently, Laila was the star of the night. Pearl quickly made her way to the back alley behind the club where she was once hiding from Adore, enjoying the refreshing air, but unable to light a cigarette since she was still holding a drink.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck!”

“Your wish is my command!” heels clicked on the asphalt and suddenly Laila was right next to her, a hoodie covering her naked upper body, so Pearl did the only thing she could think of: she put her drink on the ground and pushed Laila against the wall, kissing her, claiming her lips, feeling her boobs perking through the fabric, finally having the girl all to herself. Laila responded by kissing Pearl back, sliding her tongue between Pearl’s teeth, holding her around the waist.

Everybody could look at Laila, but Pearl was the only one that got to touch her.

“You were so beautiful up there, damn it, babe, I wanted to – you are stunning. I didn’t realize. You’re so fucking gorgeous and hot. Please, touch me. Please, Laila.”

“Right here?” Laila laughed.

“Please.”

“Come on, Pearlie, don’t be stupid. Come on.” Laila opened the door that took them back to the club and then backstage, to some forgotten corner between the break room and a broom closet. Without asking for permission, she pushed Pearl so that she sat down on some boxes and then kissed her again, undoing the zipper of her jeans and slipping her hand down the blonde’s panties.

“Holy shit, girl, you didn’t lie,” whispered Laila in hot breath into Pearl’s ear as her fingers wandered. Pearl leaned hard against the wall, holding onto Laila with one hand for support, pushing her jeans down her legs to make things easier. The other girl already managed to slide her finger deep into Pearl, dropping soft kisses to Pearl’s neck and jaw, brushing her thumb against Pearl’s clit every once in a while, sending the blonde into oblivion.

“Laila,” moaned Pearl, feeling her toes curl with pleasure. Her lover looked at her with dark eyes.

“Shh, Pearl, I got this,” said Laila, sliding down to her knees. She was kneeling now as Pearl hooked both her legs over Laila’s shoulder, not really thinking about what she was doing. It just felt right; it probably never felt that right before. And Laila was not about soft feathery kisses and teasing touches, she was all about full force of her tongue, spreading Pearl wide, tasting her.

Pearl didn’t know what to look at, so she closed her eyes, brushing her fingers through Laila’s hair, concentrating on the pleasure collecting in her belly. She wanted to moan loudly, but she bit her tongue, knowing they were in a public place. Laila’s tongue was now working on Pearl’s clit and that sent her over the edge, coming abruptly with a buck of her hips and a curse.

As Laila smiled at her from below, Pearl beckoned her closer and kissed her wet, warm lips. She was already planning all the ways she was going to make Laila come that night.

***

“Good morning darling.” Whispered Raven softly near the other’s ear. She and Raja had spent last night binge-watching ‘Orange is the New Black’ and fell asleep cuddled up on the couch. But these were the moments that Raven cherished; to relish in the glorious silence that was their apartment on an early New York morning, above the loud and hectic streets below. Though she was a morning person, it was rare for her to wake up still tucked under her fiancée. Being the person Raja was, she would already be dressed and sitting at their kitchen island sipping on her coffee and reading emails before she left for Galactica.

“Mmmm,” groaned Raja as she covered her face trying to block out the sun that was shining in her face. “What time is it?”

Raven smiled sweetly at Raja. It was something to be said to watching the person you love rest and then slowly wake up. Even with her sleep-tossed hair, mascara clumped lashes and slight morning breath, Raja was still exquisite to her. “It’s 9am baby.” She replied with a soft kiss. “And I’m sure you want to shower.” Raven said with a soft laugh at Raja’s sleepy expression.

“I guess you’re right.” Raja replied with a stretch. “You know, even though I know I look absolutely horrendous,” she started as she moved a stray piece of hair out of Raven’s face. “You look absolutely breathtaking.” She finished sealing her compliment with another kiss.

Raven laughed lightly at her fiancée’s compliment. “You know, I was just thinking the same about you,” she said as she snuggled further in her embrace, not wanting to destroy the moment by getting up and starting their day. “I love moments like this. These small moments with you, because there’s no place I’d rather be,” she whispered into Raja’s throat, kissing her softly before laying her head back down on her shoulder.

Raja sighed softly, holding Raven closer to her, not wanting to leave their couch, let alone their home. “I wish I could stay here all day,” she said softly.

“Then why don’t you?”

“I’m needed at the office,” Raja replied, running a hand through Raven’s long hair.

“But I need you here with me,” Raven whined softly while clinging even tighter to the taller woman.

“I know my love, but you have a fitting to go to and I have a meeting I need to attend.”

“I know, but a girl can dream, can’t she?”

Raja smiled softly at her fiancée and her optimism. “She can,” Raja started as she sat up further with Raven still in her lap. “Tell you what, how about this weekend we go to East Hampton, to that spa you love so much?” suggested Raja.

“Oh that sounds lovely! I love their chocolate bath and seaweed facial,” replied Raven as she turned her head to look at Raja. “Maybe we can pick up some little gifts for Sutan, Violet and Mani,” Raven started with a smile, even though ‘mani’ was the Indonesian word for mom and Raven didn’t speak the language, it was still the way Raven referred to her mother-in-law. “There’s a facial set I know Violet would love and Sutan mentioned something about the hand lotion they sell so maybe I can get him some; and I know Mani is running low on that peony shampoo and conditioner we got her over the summer, so that we can get some more for her, she’ll like that.”

“Sounds like a date,” Raja said with a smile. Even when on a trip geared towards Raja and herself, Raven always thought about bringing things back for people.

“Thank you darling. I really appreciate it and I can’t wait to go,” Raven said with a kiss.

“Anything for my little princess,” Raja replied with a smile.

***  
  
“Shane.”

Shane tore his eyes away from the pattern he was working on when his girlfriend Betty situated herself on top of his desk, demanding attention. They were almost alone in Design, a few people still finishing up their cake and champagne from Violet’s impromptu welcome party, but nobody was in the immediate closeness of the couple.

Betty was twisting a champagne flute in her fingers. Her pink asymmetrical hair falling to one side in soft waves and she was dressed in such an extraordinary, out-there way, but her attention to detail was visible in every little item.

Needless to say, Betty was always Shane’s favorite piece of art to look at.

“What is it, Elizabeth?”

Betty cringed at the name and rolled her eyes, but Shane just smiled and put both his hands on her knees. He loved messing with her.

“Aren’t you worried about the new one?” she asked.

“The new one? You mean Violet?” Shane looked around to see Violet standing in the far corner. Trixie was talking to her, gesticulating flamboyantly, and the girl was just nodding at him. “Why would I be worried?”

“I’m worried. Have you seen her sketches? She’s good, Shane. She’s really good. And apparently she’s close friends with Trixie.”

“Oh. Oh! So that’s what’s happening? You’re jealous!”

“Don’t ‘oh’ me! And I’m not jealous, don’t be stupid. I’m just worried.” Betty put down her champagne flute on the desk and reached out to play with Shane’s dreadlocks, braiding them together. “She’s going to be trouble, one way or another. You just wait.”

“Betty. If anyone’s being stupid, it’s you. She’s not here to threaten your position in the department. You’re an amazing designer, and if anything, her presence will push you to work even harder, and it’s a good thing, right? You’re acting like the toys in Toy Story on Andy’s birthday. Trixie is Andy, Violet is Buzz Lightyear and you’re-”

“Don’t you da-”

“Woody.” Shane laughed as Betty’s eyes practically rolled into her head. “Don’t give me that look.”

“I will give you this look as much as I want, dumbass.”

Shane couldn’t resist, he just had to smile at her so hard he felt his eyes crinkle. “You know what,” he caressed Betty’s hand softly, “let’s bail. Let’s go out for dinner. Sushi? Pad thai? What would you like?”

“I have a better idea,” Betty moved close to Shane as if she wanted to whisper something dirty in his ear. Shane felt his knees tremble slightly when her lips touched his earlobe. “Let’s go home”, she purred seductively.

“Yeah! I like the way you think.”

He held Betty’s hand while she was jumping off the desk, both of them in a rush to get home.

***

“Here kitty kitty, no, no, stand sti-” Max laughed as the kitten he tried to photograph had just fallen over, the little thing meowing pathetically until Max reached up and helped the tiny creature get back on its feet, Max wrapping the blanket a little tighter around it so it was warm and safe.

“Are you going to be a good model now, or do I have to tell on you to your mummy?” Max looked at the kitten who was too busy trying to purr. Max smiled and picked up his camera again, snapping photos of the little furball. Max volunteered once a month at the Animal Haven in Manhattan, taking pictures for their website and their social media to help the animals who lived there to get adopted. It wasn’t quite photographing wildlife, or spending his days in the Californian heat, but it was close enough.

***

“Sutan, I don’t think I can do this.”

Sutan looked over at Violet. They were in the backseat of the twins’ car, with Raja driving as they were on their way to Long Island.

“Come on lovely eyes, you have nothing to be worried about.” Sutan reached over and took Violet’s hand. “My mom is going to love you.”

“How can you possibly know that?”

“Because _I_  love you.” Sutan smiled and kissed Violet on the cheek, not wanting to ruin her makeup. Raja pulled in at a small yellow house with a big garden, nestled in and almost looking like something from a fairytale. “I promise everything will be okay.”

They arrived at the door and an elderly woman opened it with a big smile on her face.

“Hello hello! Come in, come in, outside cold tis time of year, Raja, why is jacket not on? I tell you always to wear jacket so you can take care of job and no sick.”

“I know, I know, I’m sorry Mani.” Raja smiled and leaned down to give the woman a kiss of the cheek and a hug, Raven doing the same thing afterwards.

She was dressed in a green, floral shirt dress and simple brown shoes, and Violet could see that she had spend time on doing her hair and makeup even if all she was wearing was some mascara and chapstick. Violet couldn’t quite believe that the, quiet frankly, tiny woman in front of her was the mother of the Amrull twins. Violet smiled, feeling a little shy as she waited for her turn to be introduced.

“Mani, this is Violet Chachki.” Violet quickly held out her hand, but the woman hugged her instead. Violet felt a hot rush, taken completely by surprise at the warm welcome.

“Hello Mrs. Amrull, it’s very nice to meet you. Selamat Sore.” Violet quickly looked at Sutan to see if she had said the greeting correctly, and judging by the smile on his face she hadn’t butchered the language of his ancestors completely. “Apa Kebar?” 

Mama A laughed before she responded with “Baik-baik saja,” and Violet couldn’t help but smile. She had practiced the simple question Sutan had taught her on their first date several times in the hope that she would say it right and it seemed like the work had paid off.

“Vey sweet, you Anada’s girlfriend he tells me much about you, he likes you a lot.”

“Mani!’ Sutan laughed.

“Hush!” Mama A looked Violet up and down. “You vey tall and petty, fits well for Sutan, he lucky boy to meet you.”

Sutan had told her that Anada was an Indonesian nickname his mother used for him, the word meaning noble son while Raja was called princess, or Putri.

“Thank you, Mrs. Amrull.” Violet suddenly remembered what she was holding in her hands.

“Sutan told me that you like gardening, so I brought you this Melati Puthi.” Violet held out the jasmine flower in her arms. “Please accept it as a token of my gratitude and an expression of joy for being invited to your home.”

"No need to be so fomal, vey sweet to give gift to old woman, Raven, you should lean, you neve bing gifts no more.”

Raven laughed at Mama Amrull’s teasing shade.

“Come on Mama A, you’re only 61, you’re in the prime of your life sheikh, like fine red wine.”

Mani lead all of them to the living room, where tea was already waiting for them. Raja and Raven just dumped themselves down on the couch, even though they barely fit into the space between that and the coffee table, while Sutan took one of the armchairs. Mani patted a chair and Violet sat down, her legs only barely fitting into the space as well.

“Sorry not so much room. Normally space is good for me, I became normal size for Indonesian then stopped, I do not know why my childen gow so much, I feed them good and one day they tall as tees, they find other tall ones and leave me close to ground nice and good.“

Violet laughed as Mama A put her flower away, letting it sit near the window so it would get a lot of sun.

"Mooooom, I told you to pronounce your ‘r’s, you’re not making any sense, kamu mempermalukan saya,” groaned Sutan at his mother’s broken English though he was smiling. He would have thought that after living in his country for so long that she would pronounce her english ‘r’s better; but old habits die hard.

“No embaess Anada’s I try hade.”

"I don’t mind Mrs. Amrull, I understand you just fine,” said Violet with an encouraging smile.

Mani smiled a motherly smile at Violet. “See, nice gil, you take care of my boy, he little shy but good man,” she said sweetly. “Raja, you come help in kitchen?”

“But I’m sooo comfortable, and we just got here, and they’re showing  _The Price Is Right_  on tv!”

“I can help if you want?” Violet was already standing up.

“No no.” Mama A smiled at Violet before gently petting the other woman’s cheek. “You sweet but you rest now.”

“Ma'am please, I insist.”

“You be good gil now and go sit on couch with useless childen.”

“Hey!”

“Only guest ask Mani if Mani want help, own childen no ask so only Vioolet can have leftover.”

“Nooooo!! Mamiii!!” whined Raja who turned to drape herself against the back of the couch. “You said I could take the leftovers home!”

“No Putri! You or Anada no ask if I need help so you not get,” replied Mama A, sharply wagging a finger.

“But ma, you have a fully functional kitchen with a dishwasher and everything, I had it installed when we updated your kitchen. Why aren’t you using it?” asked Sutan who turned to also address his mother.

“Waste of time.” She replied simply. “But my wad final, Putri, you no get leftovers.”

“Aww man… Thanks for making me look bad,” said Raja towards Violet before she stuck her tongue out with a smile before turning and continuing to watch TV.

“Don’t mind her, she ok, you good gil. Mama fine.”

**

“Sutan, what is the bowl for?” Violet’s voice was low as she had turned her head to talk to him, gesturing to the small ceramic bowls that were placed at everyone’s plates.

“It’s for washing your hands before we eat.”

“What!?” Violet slapped her hand over her mouth, incredibly thankful for the fact that Sutan’s mom wasn’t in the room. Violet hissed through her teeth, her voice low. “What do you mean? You told me we were having Rendang!”

“Mami changed her mind, we’re having sundanese instead, don’t worry, you’ll love it.”

“Are you telling me, minutes before we eat, that I have to eat with my hands? I am wearing gel tips Sutan, gel tips!”

“If you’re worried I can get you a fork?” Sutan was just about to stand up, but Violet pulled him back down again.

“Are you insane? That’ll be an offense! Rendang is a traditional dish eaten with your hands. I can’t use a fork for that”

“She’s my mom, Violet”

“Exactly!”

***

Violet looked around the living room, and she couldn’t help but smile. Every surface was covered with trinkets and souvenirs and pictures of the twins, the couches were filled with pillows and blankets and the entire room screamed of someone who had lived a long and full life. Violet walked around, looking at the pictures.

“Is this your dad?”

Sutan stood up and walked to her side, the small picture on the wall was of Raja and Sutan, towering over two tiny adults, both dressed in graduation capes, everyone smiling brightly.

“Mmh… He died 9 years ago, right after Raja and Raven started dating, he never got to meet her.. And now they’re getting married, time sure flies.” Sutan smiled a little.

“Do you miss him?”

“Every day, he died of a heart attack… One day he was there, and the next day he was just gone. Raja and I didn’t even make it to the hospital before he died, but my mom was with him and held his hand.”

“I’m sorry…”

“It’s okay.”

Violet took Sutan’s hand and squeezed it gently before raising it to her lips.

“Thank you for telling me.”

Sutan smiled and wrapped his arms around Violet’s waist, giving her a sweet and gentle kiss, neither of them noticing Sutan’s mom until they heard the click of a camera. “Time for dessert!”

***

Sutan noticed that Violet barely touched her dessert. She looked very uncomfortable about it.

"You don’t have to keep eating if you’re not hungry anymore. Mani will understand.” He leaned in to whisper to Violet as everybody else was busy talking and eating.

"Are you telling me to deny this adorable woman who has slaved away all day to make this meal for us? Sutan Amrull, you should be ashamed of yourself.”

“You like desert, Vioolet?” Asked Mani.

“Very much, but it is very sweet.”

“You don’t like sweet?”

“Not so much, no.”

“I remember for next time, you no woory. Violet, you come next Sunday and I make other desset, much bette less sweet, and we watch Badminton with me and fiends.”

“Mani, Violet is a busy woman, you can’t just-” started Sutan before Violet cut him off.

“I’d love to come, thank you for inviting me.”

***

“I’m not sure about this, Pearl.”

Pearl was lying in Laila’s bed in a small apartment just one block from the bar Laila worked in. 

The bed was small and creaky and the kitchen sink was overflowing with dirty dishes, but Pearl couldn’t exactly bring home the girl she was cheating on Adore with. She could already imagine Max’s disappointed face, Trixie’s sad shrug, Katya tilting her head to the point it becomes comical and Violet’s – she didn’t even want to think about what Violet would say. All she wanted right now was this girl cuddled into her, and for her phone to finally stop bursting with new text messages. 

“Not sure about what?”

Laila sit up, still fully naked, her vibrant hair color dulled by the darkness of the room. “This? Sleeping with you, I mean. Your girl is kind of, like, a friend of mine. It’s gotta turn ugly at some point.”

“I am your friend too. And isn’t it too late for regrets now? We already fucked,” said Pearl, unsure whether she was right, unsure whether she really meant it, until Laila smiled and bent down to kiss Pearl’s forehead.

“True. And you know what, fuck it. We can worry about it tomorrow. How about we crack open that bottle of whiskey I’ve had for like a year now?”

“You know I never say no to alcohol, Laila.”

***  
  
“A cappuccino refill?”

“That’s me.” Violet looked up from her sketchbook, a smile on her face as she accepted her drink from the waiter with a quiet, “Thank you.”

Violet placed her headphones over her ears once again, and settled back into her chair. She had done as both Trixie and Alyssa had told her to, which was spend time outside of the office. There were still two days until the Thursday team meeting, a weekly occurrence in design where Trixie checked in with everyone, making sure they were on top of their schedules and that the obligations of the department were fulfilled. Violet watched the people outside walk by, the piano music keeping her company as she sipped her coffee before she picked her pencil up and continued to sketch the New Yorkers who went past her.

***

“Alaska! Can you take a look? Do I use the cerulean or the turquoise shadow here?”

“Girl! You know you’re the best makeup artist we have, why are you asking me, Kim?”

“Because you’re my boss?”

Alaska laughed, taking a step closer. Kim Chi was putting makeup on Courtney, who sat perfectly still, eyes closed, her face illuminated by industrial lights that were installed in the makeup department. Miss Fame was out of the office and, for once, Courtney was not behind on any of her tasks, actually making decent progress. She was no Violet, she could never be, but lately Fame hadn’t been yelling at her that much and Courtney felt a little calmer and more sure of her abilities as an assistant.

So she allowed herself to hang at Alaska’s department once in a while.

“Go with the cerulean.”

“I thought so!”

Kim was a real artist, swiping her brushes across Courtney’s face with precision. But she wasn’t much of a talker when she worked, so Courtney decided to ask the question that’s been bugging her for the last few days.

“How well do you guys know Bianca del Rio?”

“Not at all, sadly. I hear she could be a bitch, but treats her people well. Kind of like our Fame,” said Kim.

“Come on, Court, you’re best friends with Adore. She must tell you a lot about her sister,” questioned Alaska.

“Well, she does, but I’m kinda looking for an unbiased opinion.”

“I don’t know her that well myself,” drawled Alaska, “but the general opinion is that she’s a heartbreaker. Lots and lots of girls, always anonymous until they start crying their heart out in the press and nobody knows if they should believe them, or are they just doing it for money. Oh, and she’s a bitch.”

“She was nice to me though,” answered Courtney, remembering the other woman’s smile and kind words. “She invited me over for Thanksgiving.”

Kim stopped moving her brush as Alaska cleared her throat, and Courtney couldn’t open her eyes, but she was sure they were exchanging a look. Nobody was saying anything.

“Okay, Court! Open your eyes!” Kim Chi broke the silence, apparently desperate to change the subject, and Courtney could finally see herself in the mirror. And she looked… she looked stunning, the blue on her eyelids complimenting the color of her eyes, and her lips looked shinier and bigger than ever before.

“Oh my God! Kim! How did you do that? I look amazing!!”

“A good model, some talent and the new blue palette, and voila!”

The three girls ended up taking about 30 pictures of Courtney’s makeup, and then selfies in various configurations.

***

“Hey Trix?”

“Yes?”

Pearl and Trixie were sitting in Pearl’s office, each with a container of Chinese takeaway.

“We’re best friends, right?”

“Well, you’re mine, so I hope you feel the same.” Trixie smiled, but he couldn’t help but worry at the sad expression on Pearl’s face.

“And best friends love each other, no matter what, right?”

“That’s the general idea. I mean, you still love me even after I threw up in your new Prada bag that time I had food poisoning, you’re my best man, we’re a team.”

Pearl nodded “That was pretty gross.” She smiled, now filled with hope that this was the day she would break up with Adore. Trixie believed in her.

***

“Mmh?”

Violet could feel the bed move, she was just about to open her eyes when her blanket was wrapped tighter around her.

“Ssh baby, I’m sorry, go back to sleep.” Violet felt a pair of familiar lips against her temple before the bed moved again. Violet opened her eyes and saw that Sutan had crawled out of bed, a pair of jeans getting pulled over his ass.

“Sutan?” Violet sat up in the bed, getting a confirmation that Sutan really was getting dressed as he pulled on a pair of socks. “Where are you going?” Violet looked over at the clock on the bedside table, the red letters easy to see. “It’s 3:30…”

“Naomi called, you remember Naomi, right?”

Violet nodded; Sutan had told her about his newest protégé and how excited he was to work with her. “She needs me to come pick her up, she’s at a party out in Brooklyn and from the sound of it she’s pretty wasted.”

Violet bit her lip as Sutan pulled on his shirt, his hair all over the place until he smoothed it down with his hand.

“In Brooklyn? In the middle of the night?”

Violet’s brow furrowed. She knew she looked upset, but this wasn’t what she had expected when Sutan had told her he had given Naomi his private number for emergencies.

“I know, I know.” Sutan threw on a sweater as well before he picked up his glasses. “I’ll take the car, I won’t be long.” Sutan smiled. “Go back to sleep and I’ll be back before you know it.”

“Sutan…”

“It’s her first month in the city, it’ll get better.” Sutan’s phone rang, and Violet knew instantly that it had to be Naomi. “I really have to go.” Sutan leaned into the bed, looking into Violet’s eyes. “A kiss for the road?”

“A kiss for the road.” Violet smiled a little and gave Sutan a brief, soft, close-mouthed kiss.

“Be safe.”

“I promise.”

***

“Laila. Laila, open up.”

Nothing. Dead silence. That was bullshit, Laila must’ve been home, it was early morning and her bar was still closed. Pearl, on the other hand, should’ve been on her way to work. Well, she was, she just made a little detour.

Standing in front of a locked door, Pearl was calling Laila’s number for the third time already. She placed her ear flat against the door and heard Laila’s phone ringing to a classic rock tune inside.

“Laila! Come on!” Pearl was about to lose her shit. She had had another bad night, leaving Adore’s apartment at 3 or 4 in the morning, wandering through the empty streets, reaching her home only to find Trixie and Katya passed out on the couch together, drooling on each other. Their hands were joined while they slept and Pearl couldn’t look on; something in her chest was stirring, causing her pain and deepening the hole in her stomach. She grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge, changed her underwear, brushed her teeth and left the apartment as fast as she could.

Pearl had meant to break up with Adore, she really had, but whenever she looked at Adore, saw the trust in the girl’s eyes, she just couldn’t. Pearl had never meant for Adore to get hurt, had known right from the start that Adore was just something to tide her over while she healed from Violet’s rejection. Everything has gone to shit the moment Violet had told Pearl she had a boyfriend, and it was even worse now that she had met Laila… Laila, who had changed everything Pearl thought she knew about herself.

And now? Well, now Pearl was in Hell’s Kitchen, with a bag of bagels tucked into her purse and her heart in her throat.

Finally, after an eternity of waiting, Laila’s door opened up, revealing Laila like Pearl had never seen her before. She didn’t have even a trace of makeup on, face smooth and clear, her hair was pulled back and messed up from sleep. She was wearing yoga pants and a loose, white t-shirt with, obviously, no bra underneath. Pearl’s mouth watered.

“Hi. I brought food.”

“You’re not supposed to be here,” said Laila, rubbing at her eyes, but she was grinning. Pearl wanted nothing more than to take the short girl into her arms and – what exactly did she want to do? She wasn’t sure. “Don’t you have, like, work or something?”

“Work can wait. Can I come in?”

Laila shrugged, gesturing for Pearl to enter. She waited for the blonde to take off her coat and hang it.

“Take the shoes off, too.”

Pearl obeyed, her black boots finding their place next to Laila’s Converse, black Hunters and her three different pairs of heels. Laila took Pearl’s hand. Pearl didn’t know what to expect as she was being led to Laila’s messy, slept-in bed, but she was okay with anything.

“What are we doing?”

“Just lie down with me, okay?” Each and every time Laila asked or told Pearl to do something, the blonde felt a weird tingle in her nerves. She lied on top of Laila’s covers, the other girl right next to her, cuddling close with her face in Pearl’s black sweater, arms around Pearl’s waist, eyes closed.

“Are we seriously going back to sleep?”

“Yes, you fucker. I was asleep for like three hours, you woke me up.”

“But I brought bagels…” protested Pearl weakly.

“Later. Now shut up, I’m sleeping.”

Pearl sighed, trying to identify the warm feeling that overtook her as she laced her fingers with Laila’s and the other girl didn’t pull away. Listening to Laila’s soft, sleepy sighs, Pearl caressed her lover’s red hair and in fifteen minutes or less, she was asleep herself.


	14. Chapter 14

If there was one thing about Pearl that Laila was sure of, it was her ability to make a girl feel good.

It was early morning, bright sunlight climbing into Laila’s apartment through the open curtains, Pearl’s head bobbing between her legs, the other’s hair drawn back into a bun. Pearl had come over at 6, practically kicking Laila’s door down, leaving a bag of bagels that they had eaten for breakfast on the floor. Pearl was weird, but Laila didn’t mind too much, because even though Pearl was weird, Laila couldn’t look away from the goddess that was Pearl Liaison.

“Ah!” Pearl smiled, her nip at Laila having worked to catch the other’s attention; she looked up at Laila every now and then to send her a wild look, as if Laila needed anything more than Pearl’s mouth on her to drive her insane.

Pearl’s tongue was so expertly pushing her open, hands positioned on her hips, keeping her down, and Laila felt hot and sticky all over. She had to grab Pearl by the hair and guide her even closer, moaning shamelessly, grinding down, eliciting a moan from her lover too as Pearl started flicking her tongue over Laila’s clit, making her whimper, “Yes, yes, just like that, just like that, baby.”

It didn’t take long until she was coming, drawing her nails into Pearl’s shoulders, gasping for air, Pearl guiding her through the waves, laying kisses on Laila’s inner thighs when she was too sensitive to touch. As soon as Laila got her mind back (well, at least parts of it), she scrambled to where Pearl was seated on the bed, to thank her for her astonishing abilities with sweet kisses. “How are you so goddamn good at that?” Laila asked, and Pearl laughed.

“Years of practice.”

“Of course.” But Laila had some skills of her own she wanted to show, so she pushed Pearl so that the blonde was now lying on the pillows, and she tuned her body to the music that was playing in her head, moving sexily, biting her lips, slowly running her palms up Pearl’s thighs and watching the blush growing on the other girl’s cheeks, hunger in her eyes. But as soon as Laila’s fingers brushed the outer folds of Pearl’s sex through her underwear, the blonde grabbed the other girl by the wrist.

“Laila, you don’t have to…“

“I want to.”

“Are you sure?”

Yeah, why would Laila be unsure? In her world, if a girl gave her an orgasm, it was perfectly normal for her to give that girl an orgasm of her own. It was a simple equation. “Of course I am. Now relax and shut the fuck up, please?”

Pearl gulped and nodded, squirming a little under Laila’s steady gaze. Having Pearl like that, open and vulnerable and still beautiful like a movie star seemed so unreal and made Laila feel powerful like a deity. She has never experienced this feeling before, and hell, she could get used to it, her fingers finding their way underneath the fabric of Pearl’s panties.

“Good girl, Pearl. You’re such a good girl.”

Pearl moaned loudly as the sunlight claimed Laila’s entire apartment.

***

“So that concludes the last of our autumn wear, Alyssa is going to swing by early next week to show anyone who is interested the numbers on how we did. I’m recommending it to everyone as a knowledge of which designs sells well where means we can account for it, and remember, pleasure in the work - ”

“Puts perfection in the job.” April smiled slightly as everyone in the briefing room had just said the company motto in unison. Trixie was standing at the front of the crowd, presenting the work that had been done over the last week.

“If someone could lower the lights, yes, yes, thank you Gia. If I could have your attention, the slots for shoe design open up in two weeks time for the summer months. I know Manila got her designs picked for the fourth time last month, but that doesn’t mean that there isn’t room for everyone to play the field if they want to! Remember, my door is always open if any of you need anything at all.”

April didn’t mean to, but it was hard not turning out Trixie’s stream of words, her boss yapping on about the upcoming changes with their button deliveries. April was slowly making a doodle on the paper in front of her, the lines from her pen intertwining with each other and creating new shapes.

April was first and foremost a jewelry designer, but her understanding of the architectural perspective and her often bold and brave moves in the clothes she designed meant that her work got accepted and produced more than many of her coworkers’.

***

“Hey Trixie…” Violet knocked on Trixie’s door, getting a bright smile from him and a gesture to walk in, which she did.

“Hey Vivi, what’s up?”

“Hey…” Violet smiled a little shyly as she sat down in front of Trixie’s desk, the handle of a tote between her fingers. “I, umh, I..”

“Yes?”

“Well, you told me last week that I should try to go out more, and you haven’t really followed up on that? I was expec-”

“Oh, shit, I’m sorry Vivi, I guess you misunderstood me.” Trixie smiled brightly. “It’s a ritual here that our newest employees do a project that they feel describes them in their second week.”

“Describes them?” Violet felt her stomach fall a little; she had stayed up well into the night, Katya keeping her company in the kitchen as she had prepared her presentation on her first week of work. Violet had gone to three different parts of Manhattan, sketching the people there, trying to find a pattern in the way they were dressed, the tote filled with presentations slides, her sketches put into categories and then ready to be presented, but it seemed like all her work had been useless.

“Exactly, who is Violet Chachki?”

“Well you already know that, I’m Violet, I’m 23-”

“No, come on, Violet, get your head out of your ass.” Trixie smiled again, making Violet’s stomach clench. “I already know all of that. What I want to know is, who is Violet Chachki as a designer, what is her core, why are you here? That’s what I want to see next Thursday. I want the essence of you.”

“On Thursday?” Violet was pulling at the edge of her dress, her fingers tugging on the fabric again and again. “A week from now?”

“Yes! Do what you have to do, come in, don’t come in, take a trip to see your parents or… Well, do whatever, all I want is the core of you at the next department meeting.”

“Yes sir, no problem.” Violet stood up, her face arranged into a smile. “I’ll get that done.”

“Awesome!” Trixie smiled brightly. “What do you want for dinner tonight? I have to admit I’m feeling burritos.”

“I think I’m staying at Sutan’s tonight, but thank you for the offer.”

“Anytime!” Trixie chirped. He was excited to see what she would come up with for next Thursday’s presentation.

Violet smiled and walked out of the office, her mind racing a million miles a minute. Less than a week to make the essence of herself? Violet sat down at her desk, not even noticing Manila who had tried to get into contact with her, as she drove right into her work.

***

“Hey, Pearlie girl, are you okay?”

Pearl had been sitting on the couch for the last hour, her phone in her hand, her eyes glued to the screen. Pearl looked up as Katya sat down next to her, Katya’s slim fingers, today covered in dried green paint, wrapping themselves around her arm.

“I’m fine.”

“You don’t look fine?” Katya’s bright blue eyes were studying Pearl’s face and Pearl felt like the other could look directly into her soul. “Does this have something to do with the new girl you met?”

“I’m fi- wait, what?” Pearl looked at Katya, her phone momentarily forgotten as she felt panic wash over her. “I haven’t met anyone, what are you talking about? Me? Oh no, no no, I’m only seeing Adore, or actually, I’m celibate, yes. Adore and I have decided to become celibate, to evolve a deeper emotional connection because I am 100% faithful, I-”

“Pearl, come on.” Katya smiled, not even a trace of disgust on her face. “Trix and I both know, hell, I think even Max knows,” she said with a shrug of her shoulders.

“But… But how?”

“Haven’t you noticed how happy you are when you come home after having spent time with… Whatever her name i-”

“It’s Laila, her name is Laila.“ Katya tucked a strand of hair behind Pearl’s ear, her hand still on Pearl’s arm.

“After having spent time with Laila. You smile and laugh and you’re so happy, which can’t be said for Adore…” Pearl cringed. She knew Katya was right, but she didn’t know it was that obvious. But then again, her roommates were the ones who knew her the best in the entire universe.

“I can’t break up with Adore… I’ve tried like three times and I… Every time, I chicken out. I’ve tried calling her all day but… It’s hard.” Pearl started, looking everywhere but in the direction of the blonde haired, blue eyed Russian.

Katya nodded, her expression serious. “I know this is going to sound horrible, Pearlie, and you should never, ever, ever, ever do it again… But let me tell you of a secret weapon in the world of breakups.”

Pearl leaned in, letting Katya whisper in her ear.

***

The scent of spices was filling Sutan’s kitchen, music from his phone playing on low while he chopped up the last of the basil, humming to himself as he danced to the music, a glass of wine getting picked up once in awhile.

Violet couldn’t help but look at him, watch how at ease he seemed as he stirred the sauce. It was nice to have some quiet time with Sutan, being together and not having to talk or entertain each other. Violet was filing her nails, sipping from a glass of sparkling water while Sutan finished their dinner.

“What are we listening to?”

“What?” Sutan turned around. “It’s The Temptations, they’re only the most legendary soul group in the entire world? They’re the only band from the 60s that truly matters.”

“Really?” Violet looked at Sutan, actually a little surprised at how passionate he seemed to be about music. Violet didn’t really understand it, she practically only listened to classical music, and whatever drivel they played at the clubs. If Violet was being totally honest, she always preferred instrumentals, vocals often only distracting her from the true meaning of the music.

“Yes, really. Know what, don’t go anywhere.” Sutan said, wiping his hands on a tea towel hanging off the handle of his oven.

“I don’t plan on goin- Urmph!”

Sutan had turned off the stove and put on a song, pulling Violet out of her chair before she had even had time to finish her sentence, the music already playing as Sutan started dancing with her starting a song over, making Violet laugh.

 _“I’ve got so much honey, the bees envy me_  
I’ve got a sweeter song than the birds in the trees  
Well I guess you’d say  
What can make me feel this way?”

Violet smiled, her and Sutan dancing together as he sang along, his hand on her hip.

_“I’m talking about my girl, my girl, my girl.”_

Sutan’s voice wasn’t unpleasant; he wasn’t a singer, but he hit the notes, the enthusiasm and his huge smile making up for any flaws, and Violet couldn’t help but get pulled along by this huge puppy of a man as he guided her through the song.

 _“I don’t need no money, fortune, or fame, ooh hey hey hey._  
I’ve got all the riches baby one man can claim, oh yes I do  
I guess you’d say  
What can make me feel this way?  
My girl, my girl, my girl, talkin’ ‘bout my giiiirl.”

The song ended and Violet tilted her head up, Sutan lowering his, their lips meeting in a kiss which made Violet sigh with contentment.

Sutan wasn’t perfect, but neither was she and honestly that didn’t matter at all in moments like this, the two of them the only people in the entire world as they lazily tasted each other, Sutan’s arm around Violet’s waist, her hands around his neck. Sutan gently pulled away, a smile on his face as he saw the dazed expression on Violet.

“I have something for you,” Sutan said, his thumb slowly gliding over Violets hipbone.

“What?”

“I have something for you.” Sutan gave Violet one more soft kiss before he broke their embrace. “It’s in my office, go get it and bring it back here while I finish cooking.”

Violet nodded, a little startled at Sutan’s words, but she did as he said, finding a big black box wrapped in white ribbon on his desk. She brought it back to the kitchen.

“Is this what I think it is?”

Sutan looked over at Violet, a secret smile on his face. “What do you think it is?” He said, walking to the kitchen table were Violet had sat down.

“Sutan… I…”

“Come on, open it.”

Violets hands were shaking slightly; she had already guessed what it was, the signature box revealing everything, but she still gasped when she saw the Chanel logo on the paper inside the box. “Sutan, are you serious? I can’t-”

“Happy one week at your new job, baby.”

Violet pulled the white paper away, her fingers making contact with the soft black leather. Her hand flew to her mouth, covering it as she looked into the box, completely overwhelmed before she snapped to Sutan, a look of surprise and confusion on her face. “Oh my God, oh God. Sutan… Really? But, why? I mean, it’s a black signature Chanel, Grand Shopping Tote, in gold no less! I mean.. Why.. Or, I.. This is such a hard model to find!”

Sutan laughed. “Why are you acting like this? It’s not like I haven’t bought you things before.”

“I know… I know, and I love all of those things… But, this is a real gift… Like, a real actual gift.” Violet could feel the tears gathering in her eyes; she didn’t want to cry, but she was simply so overwhelmed.

Sutan had indeed given her things before, but that was him paying for something on shopping trips, Sutan refusing to let Violet use her own credit card, and he always paid for their meals, but it had never been anything like this before, never a gift that so obviously said, “I’m your boyfriend and I care about you.” Violet felt Sutan’s arms around her, letting her lean back into his chest.

“You’re always lugging around so much stuff.” Violet could practically hear the smile in his voice as she had carried no less than three bags when he had let her into his apartment earlier that afternoon, “and I know how much you care about looking… Well, presentable is a good word for it.” Violet snorted, making Sutan laugh as well, tears still falling from her eyes as she cried silently. “I figured my cool designer girlfriend didn’t deserve to carry around cloth totes when she could carry an actual bag.” Sutan pressed a kiss against Violet’s temple. “It has room for all the stuff you usually cram into your bag, and your sketchbooks.”

“Thank you… No, Sutan, I’m honestly - Thank you. I love it. I love you.”

“I love you too.”

***

Text: “Adore, I’m breaking up with you. It’s not you, honestly it’s me. There is someone out there for you, but that person isn’t me. See you at the next party. Bye.”

***  
  
Violet was sitting on the kitchen table, Sutan’s hand on her ass, her skirt hitched up around her hips, kissing. Violet wanted to, needed to feel him against her, inside of her, the tears on her cheeks barely dry as she pulled Sutan even closed, her hands grabbing his ass, making Sutan gasp.

“Vivi.”

“Don’t call me that.”

Sutan laughed as he kissed down Violet’s neck, his right hand slipping her panties off while his left held her hip, steadying her. Violet could feel him trying to fall to his knees, but that wasn’t what she wanted, wasn’t what she needed, so she pulled his belt, forcing him to continue to stand, shaking her head, whispering a quiet ‘no’ as she finally got Sutan’s pants opened before she pushed them down.

“Violet, wait, if we’re doing that, I have to go get a condo-”

Violet shook her head, pulling him into a kiss, cutting him off, Sutan getting lost in the feeling of her mouth on his before he pulled away.

“Violet, I have to, ah-”

“Stay…”

Violet had wrapped her fingers around Sutans cock, gently pumping back and forth, her thumb gliding over the head every once and again, pulling him even closer until she could wrap her legs around him.

“Baby, what are you-?”

“Are you clean?” Violet was still pumping, slowly and surely and Sutan was almost about to shoot his load then and there, her confidence and the sexy little smile on her face almost too much to bear. “Because I am.”

Sutan nodded, for once completely overwhelmed, not able to say anything as Violet had taken charge.

“I went to my doctor … I’m on the pill and everything now… I want you to…” Violet blushed a little, but she powered on. “I want you to come in me, I want to feel that… Please?”

Sutan gave a broken moan as he reached up and grabbed Violet’s hair, crashing their mouths together, Violet meeting his desperation with her own. Sutan pushed her down onto the table, her new bag, Sutan’s phone and even the fruit bowl all tumbling to the floor as Sutan pulled Violet to him, a gasp leaving Violet’s lips when he pushed into her, the two of them connected.

“Oh God, oh God.”

Violet whimpered, her hand flying to where their bodies connected, her eyes fluttering close, her other hand finding Sutan’s hair, forcing him down into a kiss, letting all her senses get filled with him, him, him, as Sutan fucked into her.

“Harder, harder please.” Violet whispered against Sutan’s lips, her eyes still closed, her words almost drowning in the sounds of their bodies. It was so intimate, she could feel everything, every push and shove, every breath, grown and moan against her lips, every time her hand bumped into Sutan’s stomach.

“Come on, come on Sutan, come on.”

Violet’s own chase for completion was all but forgotten, as all she could feel and think about was her lover, the new sensations that was rushing over her. Violet opened her eyes just in time for her to see Sutan’s expression, his eyes closed, his mouth slack with pleasure as he came deep inside of her, his head resting on her chest, the hot rush of liquid surprising Violet, making her gasp as she had never felt it before, Sutan’s cock pulsing inside of her, making her shiver, the two of them so close together Violet could easily tilt her head, placing a sweet kiss on top of Sutan’s hair, a smile decorating her lips as she enjoyed the moment, knowing that she would never forget it.

***

Depressing Spanish love songs have been playing all day in Bianca’s Cherry Hill brownstone, and she had enough. It’s not like she hadn’t warned Adore about Pearl. She told her baby sister that Pearl wasn’t any good and would hurt her. But she didn’t listen, she never did. But she couldn’t stand to see Adore hurting in any way, no one could hurt her sisters feelings besides her. So Bianca did what any response adult would do, she ordered 2 jumbo pepperoni pizzas, and went to the corner bodega to pick up some of Adore’s favorite Ben & Jerry’s ice cream and a couple of beers and bottles of wine. Even though she was a bitter bitch, it didn’t mean she didn’t have a heart.

“You can’t stay in the bathroom forever.”

“GO AWAY!”

“Adore! I’m serious, let me in!”

“LEAVE ME ALONE BIANCA! I DON’T HAVE TIME FOR YOUR JOKES TODAY!” yelled Adore as she sat in her sister’s bathroom in the dark with only the glow of the moon from the skylight to add light to the room.

“I’m not going to let you cry in the bathroom alone all night, Adore,” Replied Bianca blandly. “That and I have chunky monkey ice cream, so if it melts, it’s on you.” She finished as she got off the door right before her sister opened it slowly. Adore had called her heartbroken, so Bianca had dropped everything at work and came back to her house.

“Do you have chocolate sauce?” Adore asked quietly as she peered at her older sister through the small opening.

“As if you would let me forget about it,” Bianca said with a smile as she pulled the chocolate syrup out of the plastic bag that also held the ice cream.

“Thanks, BB… I really needed this right now,” said Adore with a deep sigh as she opened the door enough to let her sister in before she closed it again.

“So, do you want to tell me what happened?” the older sister asked as she sat down on the closed toilet lid while handing the younger the bag of comfort snacks.

“Not really… I already know what you’re going to say.” Adore sat back on the bathroom floor and opened the tub of ice cream, taking a big scoop out of it and squeezing some chocolate on top.

“And what’s that?”

“That you told me so about Pearl,” started Adore as she swallowed the ice cream and chocolate syrup combo before continuing. “But that’s not the part that hurts the most, B…”

“Yeah, I know I told you so, but I can’t be a bitch all the time,” said Bianca as she carded her fingers through her sister’s long blonde to baby blue ombré hair. “What’s going on, Adore?”

“Pearl…fucking…ugh, I can’t even get it out,” she mumbled into her ice cream while leaning further onto her sister’s legs as a backrest.

“What did she do so wrong besides clearly breaking up with you?” Bianca asked softly.

“So you remember how I have a cellphone?” asked Adore who put the tub of melting ice cream down before wrapping her arms around her sister’s thin legs and leaning her head on her knees.

“Yeah, I remember. But I also remember that you said you could communicate with animals and trees, so yeah.”

“If you aren’t going to be serious, then you can go,” said Adore grumpily.

“Lo siento, Adoracion,” said Bianca in apology. “I’m sorry, I couldn’t help myself. Continue please.”

“Well, after I got the breakup text, I went out to find her and give her a piece of my mind, so I went to Cat Scratch since that’s where her Twitter said she was,” she started as she clutched Bianca’s legs a little tighter. “Well, I saw Pearl…”

“Annnnd…”

“Can I tell the story, Bianca?”

“Sorry, continue.”

“And then I saw Laila,” said Adore as she ate another spoonful of ice cream.

“Don’t tell me,” started Bianca as she started to braid strands of her sister’s hair. “You saw them kissing?”

“Not just kissing, B…fucking making out!” wailed Adore as tears started coming down her face. “Like they weren’t even trying to hide it, sis!”

“Oh babe,” said Bianca, honestly feeling bad for her baby sister.

“And that’s not the worst part!” Adore started while using Bianca’s dress to dry her eyes.

“If you get mascara and eyeshadow on my dress, you’re going to pay to have it cleaned.”

“Whatever. Anyway, as soon as Laila had left I pulled Pearl aside, and she was all like ‘oh…I thought you understood that we were broken up. I’m sorry it came out this way, but at least it’s all out in the open now.’ And I was stunned, fucking speechless, Bianca.”

“Clearly…but what did Laila say or do after all that?” asked Bianca who stilled her movements.

“Nothing, that bitch just looked at me like a deer in the fucking headlights! I could have choked her with her long shitty weave!” said Adore who hit her fist against her tiled floor. “That shiesty bitch! How could she, Bianca? I thought she was my friend? How could she betray me like that?” she finished as angry tears started to flow down her face once more as she laid her head back down on Bianca’s knees.

“Honestly, I’m just as surprised as you, Adore. But I just want you to know that at least this came out now, before even more emotions got involved,” said Bianca as she placed a kiss to her sisters temple. “I know I told you so, but you didn’t deserve this treatment from anyone. I just hope you are able to get back to the brilliant Adoracion Delano del Rio that the world deserves and wants to see. You deserve better than what Pearl would have given you as a ‘girlfriend’ and whatever false friendship Laila gave you.”

“Thanks, B.”

“You’re an amazing woman and one day you’re going to meet someone who will make you forget that this ever happened; I promise you that.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Because I know everything, and I know that karma is a shady bitch; but this was a learning experience for you. It’ll get better.”

“If you say so,” replied Adore as she put the lid on the now melted ice cream.

“I know so, my word is law; or didn’t you know?” Bianca said jokingly. “Besides, if all else fails, I can always beat her up for you.”

“Really Bianca? You’d beat them up for me?” asked Adore as she got up off the floor and Bianca got up from her seat.

“I’d at least think about it…but have you seen Pearl though, she’s like the slutty blonde giant of the fashion world. But if it would make you happy, I’d try,” she said simply while looking up at her little sister.

“Thanks Bianca, it’s the thought that counts.”

“No problem. But are you feeling better now? Because I can’t have you crying over the pizza, you know I don’t like my crusts soggy with tears.”

“Yeah, I’m feeling much better and thank God you ordered a pizza, I haven’t eaten all day and I’m starving.”

“And it smells like you haven’t bathed in double that,” started Bianca as she turned on the bathroom light so she could get a good look at her sister. “So I tell you what, you get in the shower and get cleaned up and by the time you get out, we can watch Golden Girls, eat a jumbo pizza and drown our sorrows in wine. How does that sound?” Bianca smiled at her sister, wondering if this was the universe getting back at her for breaking so many hearts herself. Well, if it was, it worked. She’d never be able to toss aside another pretty girl for the rest of her life without seeing Adore’s sweet little face. Her poor baby.

***

Betty dropped her high-heeled shoes upon entering the loft she shared with Shane, and touched her hurting feet with a slight grimace. She stepped into the kitchen to put away the wine she bought, and found Shane by the table, surrounded by papers and empty cups.

“Hi! Are you working?”

Shane looked up, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

“You know the shelf we put up in the bedroom last week?”

Betty nodded, trying to decide if she should start the water for some tea or open the wine straight away.

“Well, I’m calculating the probability of it killing us in our sleep,” Shane answered.

His mind really worked in mysterious ways. He was one of the brightest people Betty ever met, but, simultaneously, one of the silliest. Shane very often spent long hours worrying obsessively about stuff nobody else took into account.

“You know what I think? I think we’ll be just fine, and that you need a break. How long have you been doing this? Because, judging by the amount of cups – ”

“A couple of hours? I don’t know. I was working at first, but then I’ve started researching the shelves, and I still think we should’ve gotten the Ikea one.”

Betty rolled her eyes, finally deciding to open the wine. “But I wanted the EDRA one, and I still want it! Can you imagine me in a bedroom where there’s Ikea furniture? Because I can’t.”

“There was some Ikea in my old bedroom, just so you know,” said Shane, collecting the empty cups to put them in the dishwasher, brushing his hand against Betty’s back, kissing her temple in passing.

“It’s one of the reasons you don’t have that apartment anymore.”

Shane stopped in the middle of the kitchen, his expression one of mock hurt. “How dare you insult my Brooklyn home, you Upper East Side creature?”

“Baby, you need to admit it was kind of terrible.”

“It kinda was, wasn’t it?” Shane giggled, grabbing Betty’s hand and one glass of wine and walking to the living room, where the couple sat on the couch together, quickly finding their comfortable cuddling position.

“I had to yell at the downstairs neighbour again,” sighed Betty, reaching for the remote to turn the TV on.

“Oh no, what happened this time?”

“She complained about you playing the violin.”

“Ah! How dare she?! Did you tell her I have to practice for the show? Maybe we can send her a fruit basket or something?” Shane worried.

“We can send her a care package of earplugs. I’m not giving shit to that old hag, it’s New York and you can play your fucking violin. Or viola. Or cello.”

“Come on, no need to be mean about this! And, that reminds me; you know what they call an acid with an attitude?”

“No, not another chemistry joke. Please, I’ve been a good girl.” Betty hid her face in Shane’s shirt, trying to contain her laughter and second-hand embarrassment.

“A-mean-oh-acid!” Shane looked so proud of himself Betty snorted. She couldn’t help but drag her man closer by the shirt to kiss him. The kiss turned into a long one, with Shane hands in Betty’s hair and the time stopping to matter anymore.

“Why am I in love with the biggest nerd who ever lived?”

“For the same reason I’m in love with a mean girl, which is; fuck if I know.”

“Fair point. Now, do you wanna watch Project Runway?”

***

Violet took a deep breath; was she really doing this?

Violet was sitting on the floor in her room, a big brown moving box in front of her. Trixie’s words had been playing around in her head all day, how he wanted to see the essence of her, what made Violet into who she was, what was at her core. Violet had never been in doubt, but she hadn’t touched upon that part of herself in over five years, burying it in shame and regret and the sour taste she got in her mouth whenever she remembered how much she had failed.

Violet sat up on her knees, her hands touching the box, her fingers slowly peeling back the tape as she felt her heart clench, her palms sweaty. Violet opened the box, and came face to face with a part of her past that she had done everything she could to forget.

Right there, on the very top of her pile were her pointe shoes, the soft pink satin greeting her as Violet picked them up, the toe still covered in black smudge from her very last performance. 

Violet couldn’t help it, her left hand resting on her right shoulder, her thumb gliding over the familiar scar she could still feel, the slightly raised skin only visible to her, a constant reminder of the biggest mistake she had ever made. Violet placed the shoes on the floor, treating them with the same gentleness a mother would her newborn child as she went through the box, costumes, playbills, a sewing kit, two albums, all of it sitting there, staring her right in the face, but Violet kept going, knowing that the pain would be worth it in the end, because it had to.

***  
  
“Umh… Excuse me?”

Shane turned around, a surprised look in his eyes when he came face to face with the newest employee in the design apartment.

“Hey… I was wondering if you could maybe… Do you have a minute?”

“Sure!” Shane smiled brightly, putting down the pen in his hand and the two in his hair before he spun around, pulling out a chair. Shane held out his hand which the woman took.

“Shane Galligan.”

“Violet Chachki, I’m the new-”

“I know who you are.”

“Oh, yes of course.” Violet sat down in the chair, a nervous smile on her face as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “I was wondering if you could help me out with something…”

Shane nodded and Violet smiled, quickly finding a little black book in her bag, opening it up.

“I was at the warehouse earlier looking through the fabric, and I, umh, well, I found this one, 22b1-20, and an accent color in 65g3, and I was hoping if I could have a few yards of both? Also there were these boxes of rhinestones. Cc34a9 and Cc33a6, I looked at the label and as far as I can see in the computer system they were a mismatch from the 2008 resort collection, but I just wanted to double check…”

Shane couldn’t believe what he was hearing. One of the biggest struggles of his job was trying to keep the parts of the warehouse that weren’t owned by the fashion department in order, all of the supplies stored in a neat system, but no matter what he did, everyone, including his girlfriend and even his boss, kept messing it up. People often came to him asking for a little more of that pale pink chiffon or the fussy wine velour, all words that meant nothing to him as he wasn’t a designer, he didn’t know anything about color or texture of the names of fabrics beyond what was needed for his calculations. The workers in design were often all grabbing things to use for prototypes or even worse, actual designs, at random, which meant that Shane had to spend hours hunting down the fabric producers or finding a new company that could make a similar one if the designs got approved.

“Violet Chachki, I think you and I are going to get along swell.”

***

“So, Max, I’ve been thinking…” Pearl was sitting on the couch in Max’s studio, eating a pear and smoking a cigarette with the window open. “You’re like the most romantic guy I know, which is kind of ironic.”

“Ouch, asexual people have emotions too, don’t be crass.” Max smiled, he was sitting on the floor in front of Pearl, editing some photos. “So, what do you want?”

“How do you ask someone to be your girlfriend? Do you do it on like, a date, or?”

Max closed his computer, a comical expression of disbelief on his face. “Are you telling me you’ve never asked anyone to be in a relationship with you, ever?”

“Who’s judging now, and maybe, I wanted your advice on dating, not to be confronted with whatever the British equivalent to Doctor Phil is.”

Max laughed; he could sense that underneath all of her snark, Pearl was genuinely asking him for his help.

“Okay, so first of all, find a nice restaurant, no paper plates or napkins…”

***

Katya was home alone in the afternoon, painting motivational posters for her classroom when the doorbell rang, startling her. She ran to the hallway, quickly fixing her hair on the way, smearing her face with pink paint on the process. The doorbell rang again, impatiently.

“I’m coming! Hold your horses!”

She opened the door and saw a gigantic bouquet of pale pink roses first. There was a man she didn’t recognize holding the flowers: dressed tastefully with soft, dark hair a tanned complexion and he was tall as hell, a perfect ten out of ten, but disturbingly reminding Katya of someone.

“Hey, is Violet home? I’m kinda here to apologize… Or, I’m assuming I have to apologize. I haven’t heard from her in nearly two days”

As soon as the man spoke up, Katya knew who he reminded her of, and why, as he was Raja’s brother. “Oh my God, you’re Sutan, right?”

“The one and only.” Sutan smiled. “I believe we haven’t been introduced. I’m Sutan Amrull.”

“I’m Katya! I’d shake your hand, but – you know.” She waved her dirty hands in front of her, and Sutan nodded. “And I was sure Violet is staying at your place? Isn’t she?

’‘No, are you saying she’s not here? Should I be worried?”

“Well, my Russian grandma always said that you’re never sure of anything until it bites you in the ass, so I’m not 100% positive that Violet is not here somewhere. But the same grandma also said I’m gonna die from mononucleosis at the age of 18, and as you can see, I’m still alive and kicking. So.”

“So?”

“Let’s go to check her room!”

In just that moment, Violet came around the corner from the kitchen, her hair collected into a high ponytail, carefully blowing on a cup of tea, her expression clearly telling everyone that she was in her own little world.

“See, she’s here anyway, grandma was right about something after all! I’ll leave you two lovebirds alone.” Katya smiled, quickly disappearing into her craft room after giving Sutan one last look over.

“Violet!” Violet snapped around, her brow wrinkling when she recognized Sutan.

“Sutan? What are you doing here? Are you okay?” Violet sat down her cup, quickly walking to the door, giving Sutan a kiss.

“Am I okay? Are you? I haven’t heard from you in two days?”

“If I’m oka-?” Violet hand flew to her mouth, her eyes growing wide. “Oh… Oh… Oh God, I’m so sorry! I put my phone on flight mode so I wouldn’t be disturbed and I completely forgot about it! Did you worry? Oh please, tell me you didn’t worry.”

“No, I just come over to visit you with a giant bouquet of ‘I’m not sure why I’m sorry’ flowers because I wasn’t worried, what do you think?”

The two looked at each other, a smile growing on Sutan’s face that was soon matched by Violet’s until they started laughing, Violet pushing the flowers aside so she could step into Sutan’s arms, her head tilting up, their lips meeting in a proper kiss.

“What happened to your hand?” Sutan held Violet’s right hand up, the long fingers covered in different bandages.

“Nothing…”

“Lovely eyes…”

“Okay, okay, I’ve been working on this… presentation, for Thursday, and I’m almost done, I just need-”

“Well, you can do that tomorrow, because I’m taking you out to dinner,  _with_  your phone turned on. I missed you.”

“Promise it won’t be anywhere fancy?”

“We can get dumplings round the corner?”

“Okay, but we’re splitting dessert.” Violet laughed. She knew she was being risky, knew she would have to stay up half the night to finish, but she hadn’t been fair to Sutan and she had every intention of making it up to him.

***  
“Hello?”

“Fame! Thank God you picked up, this is an emergency.”

“Okay? What is it? Do I need to come and bail you out of jail again?”

“Ha ha ha, very funny.”

Pearl was waiting for the light to turn green, practically jogging in place as she was talking to Fame on the phone. There was so much to do and so little time.

“What is the best restaurant you know, and can you book me a table for two there for tonight?”

Fame chuckled, clearly amused at Pearl’s question. “Do you think I’m a miracle worker? That is a very, very short deadline.”

“You are a miracle worker and you know that, and you can play the ‘Miss Fame owner of Galactica bla bla bla’ card! Please? I’ll be grateful forever! It’s super important.”

“What type of restaurant do you want, pet? If it’s really as important, I’ll see what I can do.”

“Italian? Or French? No, I’d like French. Something classy, but not weird, I don’t want frog legs.”

“I’ll call you back in a second.”

“You’re an angel, and I love you!”

“I love you too, pet, now go have fun.”

Pearl hung up, the light turning green and she spurted to the other side of the road and right into a clothing store, the race against time officially beginning.

***

“Is that my Juju!!” sang Raven as she walked up to her longtime friend and part-time hair stylist. It has been a few weeks since she saw her friend last and even then, it wasn’t one of the long hangouts they used to have when they first met. But it was better than nothing since they were both busy women.

A shorter Asian woman whipped around when she heard a shortened form of her name being called, ready to tear into the person who messed up her name before she saw who it was. “Ravey baby!” Jujubee squealed in delight at the sight of the tall Russian. It had been before Fashion Week began since the last time they saw the other. With Raven still being a full time model, and her a wife and salon owner on top of being the stylist to the stars, it was very difficult for both to find free time. So needless to say, they didn’t see each other as often as the other would like; but when they got together, immense love could be felt.

The two pretty much got started in the fashion and beauty industry around the same time in New York, with Raven being Juju’s first client. She could remember it as if it were yesterday. She had graduated from some little mom and pop school up in her hometown of Boston and she decided that at 18 she was going to move to New York to follow her dream of being a world renowned hairstylist. So on her 18th birthday right after graduation from beauty school she found herself living with an aunt, her husband, their 4 babies and 3 cats in a small 2 bedroom apartment in East Harlem. It was wonderful; even though it seemed like hell to the outside world. She was here. So after a few weeks of looking and waiting tables on the side at a local restaurant, she finally found a job as a hair washer. It wasn’t much but it was a foot in. And after a few months she was finally given her first client who was none other than a tall, blue-eyed, black-haired but tanned as hell Raven. Though Raven’s English was still shakey, she understood her perfectly, and they had been best friends ever since. And even as they both moved up in the world, they still made time for the other, even if you had to plan it months ahead of time. But no matter how much time passed, whenever they saw each other, it was like no time passed between them.

“Rujubee is back in action bitches!” exclaimed Raven as she picked up Jujubee in a spinning hug. “Oh, I missed you, Juju.” She said softly putting the smaller woman down. They were truly an odd pair to see in person; Raven’s 5'10’’ towering over Jujubee at a petite 5'3’’.

“I know! I hate that I’ve been gone for so long. But you know I opened that new LA salon; and though my sister is there as my eyes, I needed to see with MY eyes for at least the first few weeks.” She said as she sat back at the table; Jujubee decided that they hadn’t had Korean since the last time they were in LA for The Grammy’s, so she decided that they were going to have Korean BBQ for lunch. With fried chicken as a starter; because why not, go big or go home. That and Raven loved all things grilled meat and Jujubee knew that if she won $100,000, that she could buy 500,000 chicken nuggets with that.

“But can you explain to me why you told me to dress up when we’re having Korean BBQ? Like why though?” Raven asked as she took off her coat as she sat in the booth across from Jujubee.

“Because ‘bad bitch contest we’re in first place’ that’s why. That and I knew I was going to be dressed up today anyway, I had a TV and radio spot to do earlier,” started Jujubee as she unbuttoned her jacket but kept it on. “That, and I figured if I was going to be dressed for our date, then so were you.” She finished with a smile at Raven’s flat look.

“But we can’t have 2 first place winners though.”

“Well, you better get comfortable as runner up,” Jujubee said with a grin.

“Fuck you, Juju,” said Raven as she flipped her off with a smile. “You’re so rude.”

Jujubee reached over the table and took Raven’s darker brown hand in her lighter brown one and patted it gently. “Awww, sorry not sorry,” she said with a sad smile.

“You’re the absolute worst.” Raven muttered darkly, pulling her hand away and waving her off.

“Which is why we get along so well,” Jujubee cackled. She loved picking on Raven, whenever there was a group completion or game, take bowling for instance; even if she did well, Raven still came up second.

“Whatever.” Raven said with a pout that morphed into a smile. “Did you order yet? I’m starving.”

“I just did, I got us some korean barbecue, kimchi, and ham & cheese sundubu jjigae to share because it’s freezing outside,” Jujubee recited off the order as she gave it to their waiter. She did always like coming here. “Oh, and I got a couple of pieces of fried chicken,” she said as she subconsciously licked her lips.

“Mmmm,” Raven bounced her shoulder in pleasure. “I can’t wait.”

“Ok…so let me tell you what happened to me in LA,” started Jujubee as she adjusted herself on the bench seat. “Now, I’m driving down La Cienega Boulevard and pull into ‘In-And-Out,’ minding my business and this frowzy bitch hits my car in the parking lot!” And so Jujubee told her story of tragedy and internal rage to Raven; it was good to finally get to see her best friend after so much has happened.

***

“As all of you know this is the end of Violet’s second week here, and it is therefore time to honor a longstanding and proud tradition of the design department. Violet, come up here and show us what you have been working on!” Trixie sat back, fully expecting a power point presentation and maybe a sketch or two.

Violet walked up to the front of the room, a shy but professional smile on her lips.

“Hey everybody, as Trixie just said my name is Violet, but all of you know that, of course… I’m 23 and I graduated from Parsons School of Design a little over two years ago, but I’m getting off track here… Trixie asked me to do a presentation that represented the essence of me, and I’ve done the best that I could with the time I was given. April, if you wouldn’t mind?”

Violet took a small step back as April rolled a mannequin which was wearing a violet gown into the room.

“I made this with a base inspiration from Darci Kristels 1993 performance in The Nutcracker as the sugar plum fairy.” Violet reached down, gently lifting up the outer layers of the dress she had just presented. “The colors are, quite obviously, inspired by my name, moving within the nuances of violet and lilac. The gown has been lengthened so it is appropriate for gala season but the lightweight fabric gives it the duality that brings it into the evening wear spectrum as well.” Violet placed the outer layer, which was a shining mass of stones. “This is, of course, not real amethysts, but I have chosen the rhinestone I could find which was closest in color. Amethyst is known for its ability to control evil thoughts, increase intelligence and render men powerless in matter of business, and the stone was even blessed by the greek god Bacchus, so it’s perfect for any kind of social event if you choose to believe in the power of crystals.” Violet smiled, a few of the people there laughing at her joke. “I know it is unconventional, but I have brought the stones up to chest as well, there is a thin layer of satin underneath so the wearer won’t get scratched, along with a see through reinforced georgette in a mild cream strengthening the top and placing all weight on the shoulders.”

“And did you make this in a week?”

“I did, sir, the stones are hand placed and everything is sewn by me.”

“Thank you Violet.”

Trixie looked around at his colleagues; some of them as shocked and taken aback as he was, some of them overjoyed, Betty somehow managing to look personally offended. Trixie didn’t know what to say; Violet didn’t even look proud of herself, she just sat at her place by the table timidly. Her gown remained on the mannequin; it was designed with passion, sewn professionally and just screaming that Violet might have even more of a talent than everybody thought, and Trixie had no idea what to do with that talent, not yet.

“Just so everybody knows, this is definitely not a new standard for us. I don’t expect anyone to come up with a complete design in a week, so don’t worry, guys.” Trixie managed to get a few laughs out of the room. “Violet, thank you again for going above and beyond. This design definitely shows who you are. Let’s break for lunch, remember it’s Taco Thursday in the cafeteria!”

***  
  
“Hey, Violet. Do you want to eat lunch with us?”

April smiled when Violet’s attention focused on her. She had been just about to leave when she saw Violet sitting alone at her desk with her lunch, her head down, not talking to anyone.

“Really?” Violet’s face broke into a smile, a surprised expression of joy in her eyes.

“Yes, really! Now, are you coming or not?”

“I’d love to, thank you April.”

***  
Trixie was sitting at the couch with his computer, absent-mindedly playing Tetris, thinking about the day’s meeting, when Katya came into the living room, looking like a mess.

“Katya?!”

“Hey sugar.” Katya smiled. She looked as if she had been dragged through the dirt, her hair a rat’s nest, grime on her cheeks and holes in her jeans, a sigh leaving her as she dumped down on the couch too.

“Did you get robbed again?”

“It looks worse than it is.”

“Your ear is bleeding.”

“I know, it was my own fault, I forgot to take out the diamond earrings my dad got me when I turned 18 before I went to work.” Katya sighed.

“So they ripped them out?”

“Yeah, I wasn’t fast enough, they took my bag and my phone too, but I had some spare change in my pocket so I could get the bus home. Do you think my car will be there tomorrow?”

“After leaving it alone in Vinegar Hill overnight? Not likely.” Trixie gave Katya a kiss. It was normal for Katya to get robbed, but that didn’t make it any easier for him, even though Katya always took it stoically, never complaining and only feeling sorry for the kids and adults who were so desperate that they had to steal. Katya had never pressed charges against anyone, and Trixie was silently incredibly thankful for the fact that he was rich enough to always let Katya have the option of giving up everything she had without a fight.

“How about we get you cleaned up, and then I’ll call your bank and a locksmith.”

“That’d be nice.”

In the bathroom, Trixie was gently washing up Katya’s bleeding earlobe when the remembered what he couldn’t wait to tell her before.

“You won’t believe what happened at design meeting today.”

“Hmm?”

“Violet happened.”

Katya turned her head, looking at Trixie curiously. “Tell me all about it.”

“I asked her last week to prepare a presentation about who she is as a designer, you know, the usual. Powerpoint, some sketches.”

“Yeah.”

“She made an entire gown.”

“You don’t say!” Trixie loved how Katya always got agitated in just the right moments of the conversation. “I mean, she’s been home a lot lately, I even thought she was staying at her boyfriend’s until he showed up on our doorstep with flowers, wondering why she’s ghosting his ass.”

“You see! She must’ve been here the entire time, sewing and studding that gown, and let me tell you, Katya, it is fucking beautiful.”

“You took a picture, right? Please tell me you took a picture.”

“You bet I took a picture.” Trixie pulled out his phone, scrolling through the photos to finally show Katya the dress in question.

“Well, fuck me”, said Katya, grabbing Trixie’s elbow as the couple sat on the edge of a bathtub, staring at the photo, at a loss for words.

***

“So? What’s with the rush and the secrecy? What are we doing tonight? Are we going somewhere?”

Laila opened the door to Pearl who was out of breath. The blonde had been behaving in a weird way ever since she called and told Laila to get ready a few hours ago, her texts not making any sense when she had asked Laila to dress up in her fanciest clothes.

Laila had gotten ready alright: she spent almost an hour on her hair and makeup, and she was wearing one of her cuter shirts, a short black skirt and black pumps.

“We are going, but – not like that. Here, I got you this.” Pearl handed Laila a garment bag with Alexander McQueen written on it. The thing wasn’t heavy, but Laila had a bad feeling.

“What the hell is this?” Laila opened the bag and pulled out something silvery and soft that was almost leaking through her hands, until she was holding up a floor-length dress that probably cost more than everything Laila owned currently. Even if she’d ever seen such a beautiful garment before, she never imagined she could ever wear one herself.

Only then Laila noticed that Pearl was also dressed in a fancy way, her hair pinned up, her lipstick a shade darker than usual. “It’s for you! You should wear it tonight, I’m sure you’ll look amazing.”

“Pearl, I can’t. I won’t. No.” Laila put the dress back inside the bag and tried to hand it to Pearl.

“Please? You have to wear something ‘nice’ to that place we’re going, and I picked that one for you all by myself, so please please please please.” Pearl’s puppy eyes melted the ice of Laila’s heart. Apparently, the whole thing was very important to the blonde, so Laila decided to indulge her.

“Alright, I’m gonna wear it, but I’m not taking it, alright? It’s still yours to do whatever you want with it afterwards.”

“Thank you!” Pearl jumped with excitement, giving Laila a kiss on the cheek. “Now put it on, please, Laila!”

Laila locked herself in the bathroom, confused, her head spinning, now alone with the stunning dress she didn’t deserve. What the hell was Pearl planning? Laila’s stomach was starting to hurt from nerves, but she took a few deep breaths before she started taking off her clothes. Luckily, her job forced her to always have nice underwear, so she found something that could fit underneath the dress without much trouble. The gown was fitted perfectly, almost as if it was tailor-made for her; the length of the bottom covered her shoes that probably didn’t fit right if you asked anyone with any knowledge of fashion. As a last minute decision, Laila pulled her hair together into a loose bun and decided to wear a different lipstick.

Since the bathroom didn’t contain a full-length mirror, Laila couldn’t really see herself. She also needed Pearl’s help to zip the dress up at the back.

Okay, here goes nothing, Laila thought. Pearl would probably just laugh at her, a red-haired hobbit trying on a stunning silver gown, all of it having been a prank, Pearl only pretending to surprise her and they would just stay home and watch Netflix, eating tortilla chips and drinking beer as they usually did.

Stepping out of the bathroom, Laila was careful not to trip over the dress.

“So? I look ridiculous, right?”

Pearl was sitting on Laila’s bed, munching on the tortilla chips, and straight up dropped the bag upon seeing Laila. Her mouth fell open and she just kept staring. Laila had no idea what was going on.

“Pearl? Hello?”

“You are – you look even better than I imagined.”

“Are you serious?” Laila touched the bodice of the dress that accentuated her full breasts. “Are you sure I don’t look – I don’t know, stupid?”

“Laila, you look like a fucking million bucks. Now, have you got a long coat or something, because our cab is already waiting downstairs. Or wait. I have to take a photo of you first.”

“Do you really have to?”

“Yes! Pose for me. Okay, just like that, babe. You look gorgeous.”

While Pearl helped her put on the coat, Laila noticed the other girl’s hands were shaking.

***  
“Guess what?” Raven asked suddenly as she watched Raja finish pin curling her long damp hair.

“What?” Raja looked up from her phone, focusing on Raven who was brushing her hair, at her vanity, before braiding it up; the two women getting ready for bed together. This was a tradition for them to get ready for bed together over a glass of wine, even if they were going to be up for longer. But even if they were apart, they would always try and find time to call or FaceTime the other while they went through their night routine or while doing their makeup.

“Jujubee has a secret.” Raven’s said with a smile.

“Oh? That’s nice.” Raja replied, not really processing what Raven was talking about; while she poured some coconut oil into her hand before applying it to her still damp long legs.

Raven looked at Raja through her mirror as she applied some elixir to her face, she wasn’t paying her any attention. “Raja! I’m serious! It’s a really big deal.” She said with a pout.

“Are you going to tell me what the secret is?”

“Of course not, it’s a secret.“ Raven began with a smile. “But I am going to throw a dinner party for everyone. Are you free next Wednesday?”

Raja smiled at Raven’s enthusiasm, her fiancée always bringing a smile to her face. She made it her duty from the first week after they started talking that she would do whatever it took to keep a smile on her face.

“I will be.”

***

“Hello. We have a reservation under Miss Fame Dam-Mikkelsen. Table for two.”

The waiter at Le Bernardin lead them to their table, Laila not even trying to question that they had it booked on the name that rang absolutely no bells. Upon entering, Laila silently praised Pearl and the silver gown, because as soon as she got rid of her cheap American Apparel coat, she felt less like a complete outcast between all of the people smelling of luxury and fanciness.

Was that the type of fun Pearl preferred? What about the time they got hammered on their first date and then fingered in Laila’s kitchen? What about the time Pearl came to her strip club? Or to her rock show? Did the same girl just speak a foreign language with the waiter? And why did she have a stick up her butt again?

“I didn’t know you speak French. Because that was French, right?” Laila tried to joke.

“Oui, oui. Juste un peu.”

“Whatever you say.”

“What do you want to eat? I’ve heard their fillet mignon is a must-try, how about that?”

Laila had no idea about the fancy names, so she just shrugged, Pearl’s apparent nervousness getting to her. “Order whatever you think is good. Just no seafood for me, please.”

Pearl beckoned the waiter and spoke French again; Laila could even feel aroused, if only she wasn’t that confused. They weren’t talking, just throwing each other short, uncomfortable glances, and then looking away. The music in the background was quiet and French, probably.

The wine arrived first and Pearl dried half a glass in one gulp. Laila couldn’t help but notice how stunning Pearl looked in her black dress, jewelry clicking on her wrists, her arms naked, goosebumps covering her tattoo. She was elegant and classy, perfectly fitting into the place they were at, almost making Laila miss the adorable dork who she regularly got drunk with. Was that Pearl even real in the first place? Why was she ripping her piece of bread to shreds at the moment?

“Why are you so nervous?”

“I broke up with Adore,” fired off Pearl, letting go of the bread to grab Laila’s hand across the table. Her fingers were cold.

“Oh. Are you okay? I’m sorry.”

“I broke up with Adore because of you. I can’t stop thinking about you. Ever since I first saw you, I’ve been trying to stop, I’ve been trying to be a good person, but I can’t. I’m sorry. I’m trying to do the right thing here. Fuck.”

“Okay, Pearl, take a deep breath. Or five. Calm down.” Laila’s own heart was beating faster than normal and she twisted her own fingers around Pearl’s, but the waiter just arrived with their food, taking Pearl’s attention (and hand) off her for a few seconds.

“So, what did you get me? Is it the fleminion something something? Are you sure I can eat it?” Laila was trying to mask her own stress, directing the conversation towards food, feeling droplets of sweat rolling down her neck, but Pearl didn’t even pick up her own fork, eyes still firmly on Laila.

“I have never asked anyone to choose me, but I’m asking you. Will you please be my girlfriend, Laila?”

Looking at Pearl, Laila searched for signs indicating that it was a lie or a joke. She found nothing. The blonde sat in her chair firmly, back straight, hands holding onto the tabletop. Laila felt a chill run down her back, her insides doing a little funny dance.

“Your girlfriend? Me? Are you sure you got the right person?”

“Positive. Yes. 200% sure.”

So that’s what the fancy dinner was about, the secrecy, the dress, and the stick up the butt.

“But – are you – I mean. Wow. I didn’t expect that. Is that why we’re here?”

Pearl nodded. “I wanted to take you somewhere nice, because you deserve it. I wanted you to remember this moment.”

Only once before was Laila asked to be someone’s girlfriend. Back then, there was no unidentified French food involved, no $200 champagne, no New York glamour. Back then, it was just Laila, 18 years old, stupidly happy about life, stupidly in love, saying yes to her girl who had a smile that could light up rooms, in a cozy dorm that housed many instruments and books.

Laila dragged herself back to reality, where she was five years older, but still just as stupid, and where she was with Pearl Liaison, a woman who looked like she walked straight out of a fashion magazine cover, and was now waiting for Laila’s response like a puppy who got kicked.

“Laila? Please say something, you’re killing me.”

_I deserve this, I deserve this, I deserve this._

“Okay? I mean, sure. I’m very flattered. Of course I’ll be your girlfriend.”

“Oh my God.” Pearl got up from her chair, almost knocking it over, and in seconds she was by Laila’s side, laying a grateful, but chaste kiss on her mouth.

“Pearl, people are looking”, Laila said, but she was laughing, happy that the tension was gone and Pearl was back to her regular self. “Are you crying? Don’t cry. Can I eat the fleminion now?”

“You fucking bitch”, whispered Pearl before she kissed Laila again and went back to her seat. “Thank you. You’re not gonna regret it.”

Laila fucking hoped so. “Let’s drink to that.”

However unbelievable it might’ve seemed, this beautiful mess was Laila’s girlfriend from now on.  
  
***  
  
“A cappuccino refill?”

“That’s me.” Violet looked up from her sketchbook, a smile on her face as she accepted her drink from the waiter with a quiet, “Thank you.”

Violet placed her headphones over her ears once again, and settled back into her chair. She had done as both Trixie and Alyssa had told her to, which was spend time outside of the office. There were still two days until the Thursday team meeting, a weekly occurrence in design where Trixie checked in with everyone, making sure they were on top of their schedules and that the obligations of the department were fulfilled. Violet watched the people outside walk by, the piano music keeping her company as she sipped her coffee before she picked her pencil up and continued to sketch the New Yorkers who went past her.

***

“Alaska! Can you take a look? Do I use the cerulean or the turquoise shadow here?”

“Girl! You know you’re the best makeup artist we have, why are you asking me, Kim?”

“Because you’re my boss?”

Alaska laughed, taking a step closer. Kim Chi was putting makeup on Courtney, who sat perfectly still, eyes closed, her face illuminated by industrial lights that were installed in the makeup department. Miss Fame was out of the office and, for once, Courtney was not behind on any of her tasks, actually making decent progress. She was no Violet, she could never be, but lately Fame hadn’t been yelling at her that much and Courtney felt a little calmer and more sure of her abilities as an assistant.

So she allowed herself to hang at Alaska’s department once in a while.

“Go with the cerulean.”

“I thought so!”

Kim was a real artist, swiping her brushes across Courtney’s face with precision. But she wasn’t much of a talker when she worked, so Courtney decided to ask the question that’s been bugging her for the last few days.

“How well do you guys know Bianca del Rio?”

“Not at all, sadly. I hear she could be a bitch, but treats her people well. Kind of like our Fame,” said Kim.

“Come on, Court, you’re best friends with Adore. She must tell you a lot about her sister,” questioned Alaska.

“Well, she does, but I’m kinda looking for an unbiased opinion.”

“I don’t know her that well myself,” drawled Alaska, “but the general opinion is that she’s a heartbreaker. Lots and lots of girls, always anonymous until they start crying their heart out in the press and nobody knows if they should believe them, or are they just doing it for money. Oh, and she’s a bitch.”

“She was nice to me though,” answered Courtney, remembering the other woman’s smile and kind words. “She invited me over for Thanksgiving.”

Kim stopped moving her brush as Alaska cleared her throat, and Courtney couldn’t open her eyes, but she was sure they were exchanging a look. Nobody was saying anything.

“Okay, Court! Open your eyes!” Kim Chi broke the silence, apparently desperate to change the subject, and Courtney could finally see herself in the mirror. And she looked… she looked stunning, the blue on her eyelids complimenting the color of her eyes, and her lips looked shinier and bigger than ever before.

“Oh my God! Kim! How did you do that? I look amazing!!”

“A good model, some talent and the new blue palette, and voila!”

The three girls ended up taking about 30 pictures of Courtney’s makeup, and then selfies in various configurations.

***

“Hey Trix?”

“Yes?”

Pearl and Trixie were sitting in Pearl’s office, each with a container of Chinese takeaway.

“We’re best friends, right?”

“Well, you’re mine, so I hope you feel the same.” Trixie smiled, but he couldn’t help but worry at the sad expression on Pearl’s face.

“And best friends love each other, no matter what, right?”

“That’s the general idea. I mean, you still love me even after I threw up in your new Prada bag that time I had food poisoning, you’re my best man, we’re a team.”

Pearl nodded “That was pretty gross.” She smiled, now filled with hope that this was the day she would break up with Adore. Trixie believed in her.

***

“Mmh?”

Violet could feel the bed move, she was just about to open her eyes when her blanket was wrapped tighter around her.

“Ssh baby, I’m sorry, go back to sleep.” Violet felt a pair of familiar lips against her temple before the bed moved again. Violet opened her eyes and saw that Sutan had crawled out of bed, a pair of jeans getting pulled over his ass.

“Sutan?” Violet sat up in the bed, getting a confirmation that Sutan really was getting dressed as he pulled on a pair of socks. “Where are you going?” Violet looked over at the clock on the bedside table, the red letters easy to see. “It’s 3:30…”

“Naomi called, you remember Naomi, right?”

Violet nodded; Sutan had told her about his newest protégé and how excited he was to work with her. “She needs me to come pick her up, she’s at a party out in Brooklyn and from the sound of it she’s pretty wasted.”

Violet bit her lip as Sutan pulled on his shirt, his hair all over the place until he smoothed it down with his hand.

“In Brooklyn? In the middle of the night?”

Violet’s brow furrowed. She knew she looked upset, but this wasn’t what she had expected when Sutan had told her he had given Naomi his private number for emergencies.

“I know, I know.” Sutan threw on a sweater as well before he picked up his glasses. “I’ll take the car, I won’t be long.” Sutan smiled. “Go back to sleep and I’ll be back before you know it.”

“Sutan…”

“It’s her first month in the city, it’ll get better.” Sutan’s phone rang, and Violet knew instantly that it had to be Naomi. “I really have to go.” Sutan leaned into the bed, looking into Violet’s eyes. “A kiss for the road?”

“A kiss for the road.” Violet smiled a little and gave Sutan a brief, soft, close-mouthed kiss.

“Be safe.”

“I promise.”

***

“Laila. Laila, open up.”

Nothing. Dead silence. That was bullshit, Laila must’ve been home, it was early morning and her bar was still closed. Pearl, on the other hand, should’ve been on her way to work. Well, she was, she just made a little detour.

Standing in front of a locked door, Pearl was calling Laila’s number for the third time already. She placed her ear flat against the door and heard Laila’s phone ringing to a classic rock tune inside.

“Laila! Come on!” Pearl was about to lose her shit. She had had another bad night, leaving Adore’s apartment at 3 or 4 in the morning, wandering through the empty streets, reaching her home only to find Trixie and Katya passed out on the couch together, drooling on each other. Their hands were joined while they slept and Pearl couldn’t look on; something in her chest was stirring, causing her pain and deepening the hole in her stomach. She grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge, changed her underwear, brushed her teeth and left the apartment as fast as she could.

Pearl had meant to break up with Adore, she really had, but whenever she looked at Adore, saw the trust in the girl’s eyes, she just couldn’t. Pearl had never meant for Adore to get hurt, had known right from the start that Adore was just something to tide her over while she healed from Violet’s rejection. Everything has gone to shit the moment Violet had told Pearl she had a boyfriend, and it was even worse now that she had met Laila… Laila, who had changed everything Pearl thought she knew about herself.

And now? Well, now Pearl was in Hell’s Kitchen, with a bag of bagels tucked into her purse and her heart in her throat.

Finally, after an eternity of waiting, Laila’s door opened up, revealing Laila like Pearl had never seen her before. She didn’t have even a trace of makeup on, face smooth and clear, her hair was pulled back and messed up from sleep. She was wearing yoga pants and a loose, white t-shirt with, obviously, no bra underneath. Pearl’s mouth watered.

“Hi. I brought food.”

“You’re not supposed to be here,” said Laila, rubbing at her eyes, but she was grinning. Pearl wanted nothing more than to take the short girl into her arms and – what exactly did she want to do? She wasn’t sure. “Don’t you have, like, work or something?”

“Work can wait. Can I come in?”

Laila shrugged, gesturing for Pearl to enter. She waited for the blonde to take off her coat and hang it.

“Take the shoes off, too.”

Pearl obeyed, her black boots finding their place next to Laila’s Converse, black Hunters and her three different pairs of heels. Laila took Pearl’s hand. Pearl didn’t know what to expect as she was being led to Laila’s messy, slept-in bed, but she was okay with anything.

“What are we doing?”

“Just lie down with me, okay?” Each and every time Laila asked or told Pearl to do something, the blonde felt a weird tingle in her nerves. She lied on top of Laila’s covers, the other girl right next to her, cuddling close with her face in Pearl’s black sweater, arms around Pearl’s waist, eyes closed.

“Are we seriously going back to sleep?”

“Yes, you fucker. I was asleep for like three hours, you woke me up.”

“But I brought bagels…” protested Pearl weakly.

“Later. Now shut up, I’m sleeping.”

Pearl sighed, trying to identify the warm feeling that overtook her as she laced her fingers with Laila’s and the other girl didn’t pull away. Listening to Laila’s soft, sleepy sighs, Pearl caressed her lover’s red hair and in fifteen minutes or less, she was asleep herself.


	15. Chapter 15

When Laila and Pearl got to dessert at their Le Bernardin dinner, they both had enough alcohol in their blood that they could loosen up a little bit.

“Merci.” Pearl smiled to the waiter gracefully.

“So… Is your family French or something?“ Laila finally asked the bugging question.

“Nope, I’m a fourth generation Chicago brat, born and bred.”

“Why do you know the language then?”

“Oh, I moved to Paris when I was 16. Can I taste your dessert? It looks really good.” Pearl was already reaching for Laila’s crème brûlée with her spoon.

“Wait, what?” Laila felt Pearl’s word like a punch to the stomach. “You moved to Paris? You used to live in Paris? Why?”

“To model of course, haven’t I told you that? It’s what models do.”

“You used to model?” Laila didn’t even realize that she had dug into her dessert, stuffing her mouth.

“Oh, yeah. I got discovered when I was 14, at a mall, total cliché, I know.” Pearl laughed. “I was with my mom when this dude approached us and my mom was sure he was a pedophile, turns out he worked for model management instead. He offered me a full-time job in New York and I took it.”

“Then how did you end up in Paris? Why did your mom let you leave?”

“I was kinda bad at school, and bad is an understatement, I was failing practically every subject but English so my mom agreed to give me a year, turned out I was exactly what they were looking for that year at Moschino so I was flown out for Milan’s Fashion Week and before I knew it had I been transferred to the French part of Model Management. I worked at the European market for a few years. Karl Lagerfeld is a pretty cool dude, oh and I was a Louis Vuitton it-girl for a while, that was rad, but then I got boobs and they sent me back to America.” Pearl smiled. “Your dessert is so much better than mine, do you want to trade?”

“But you’re not a model anymore?” Laila’s head was spinning with all the new information. She really should’ve figured that out by herself way, way earlier.

“I was kinda tired of the poking and prodding and the starving and the pain, but I’ve always been an amazing party girl, when I got back to Manhattan I had enough money to live comfortably for a few months without working anything but like… shoe commercials and stuff like that, and I didn’t want to go back to Chicago.”

Pearl smiled, as if going to Chicago was a completely unthinkable thing.

“Thankfully Fame found me and hired me on the smoothness of my face and my ability to spell Yves Saint Laurent backwards after 10 shots. Know what? You should come see my office, if you want to of course… It’s up to you.”

“Alright, that sounds nice, I guess?”

“Awesome!” Pearl already claimed Laila’s dessert, pushing a half-eaten piece of cake Laila’s way. Of course Pearl was a model; was Laila blind? She was gorgeous and tall, she moved with certainty, like she owned the world, like she was out of this world, and she had excellent taste in fashion. At least Pearl had that going for her, because her taste in women was, apparently, not as good since she had just asked Laila to be her girlfriend.

“You sure you wanna keep seeing me? I can hardly be mistaken for Cara Delevigne.”

“Cara? Come on, I had her on speed dial for a while but she’s not even that fun.” Pearl pulled a face, reaching to take Laila’s hand again. “And she’s not even one third as cute as you. She also can’t dance.”

“Yay, I win,” joked Laila, still pretty insecure, but deciding not to worry about that too much for now.

***

“So, I’m working at this thing at work…” Sutan listened to Violet talk about her work in design, her voice filled with enthusiasm as she explained her idea.

The two of them were spending their lunch break together, walking through Central Park hand in hand, Sutan with a cup of coffee and Violet with one with tea, the paper from the sandwiches they had eaten while walking around the lake already in a trashcan far behind them. Sutan pulled on Violet’s hand, moving her a little so she wouldn’t get run over by a jogger. The air was crisp, autumn leaves covering the ground, Central Park dressed up in its finest getting ready for winter.

Sutan had to go straight to a photoshoot after lunch, and Violet back to work, so they wouldn’t get to see each other again that day. Sutan was proud of Violet, he was, but he couldn’t help but hate both his and her new work schedules, since he wanted to spend all his time with Violet, a feeling he couldn’t remember he had ever had before.

“Sutan, Sutan, look!” Sutan turned his head, not even really registering what was happening before Violet had shoved her gloves and her cup of tea into his arms, letting go of him to walk over to a couple who was walking a small dog.

“Excuse me, but can I pet your dog, please? He is adorable!”

“Of course!”

The couple smiled as Violet crouched down to the ground, letting the doggie Sutan could now identify sniff her fingers. “Hey little buddy, hey, no don’t be scared, I promise I only want to pet you.” Violet was soon running her hand over the puppy’s head, scratching it behind the ears. “What is his name?”

“It’s Doug, it’s his first trip to Central Park, he has been looking forward to it all week!”

“Is it?!” Violet smiled brightly, the dog yipping its tail whipping back and forth. “Oh Sutan, look how cute he is, are you a sweet little boy? You are aren’t you, yes you are, yes you are.”

Sutan took a sip of his coffee; he had never heard Violet say so many words at once before, her entire face lighting up as she scratched Doug’s chin.

The couple was standing with the leash in their hand, a smile on their face as they looked at Sutan.

“Your wife is an absolute joy, Doug is certainly already in love with.”

“She’s not-.” Sutan smiled back, he had been just about to correct the couple on them calling Violet his wife, but what was the point? “Well, who wouldn’t be.” He took another sip, pocketing Violet’s gloves as he watched her play with the dog, a sense of calm washing over him as Violet made Doug chase his own tail.

***

’‘Shane, do you have a moment?” Violet was standing at Shane’s desk, a stack of papers in her hands and a cup of fresh coffee in the other.

“For you? Always!” Shane smiled brightly, removing a couple of empty mugs and his second computer before he accepted the one from Violet. “So what do you need?”

“Well… There’s a jacket spot in rotation next week and… I was wondering if you could help me look over my calculations… I was hoping I could do some embroideries.” Violet bit her lip before she pulled out a sketch, a list of numbers written down the side. “I went over to the tailors and they showed me how the machines work and I made this.” Violet pulled a piece of wool blend fabric dyed black with a pattern of flower embroidered along the edge. “The machine took two hours to make this, which means that each machine can make 5 a day… I’m not completely in love with the pattern yet, I need to tweak the leaves a little, but I think the amount of thread is just about right…”

Shane couldn’t help but smile as he listened to Violet talk, his excel sheet already getting filled out. Working with Violet was such a breath of fresh air, the two of them quickly working through Violet’s list of questions while Shane emptied his cup of fresh coffee.

“Thank you, Shane! I really, really appreciate your help,” said Violet when they were done, getting ready to get back to her own work station.

“Anytime!”

Only then did Shane notice Betty, looking at them with an expression that definitely didn’t bode well. Violet quickly left and Shane braced himself for a hurricane that was unavoidable at this point.

Betty slammed her sketchbook on Shane’s desk.

“What the fuck was that?”

“What do you mean?”

“You. And Violet, getting all chummy and buddy-buddy with each other. We both know she wants to snatch the jacket spot! It’s MY jacket spot, Shane. It’s mine.”

Shane took a deep breath, trying to put his hand on Betty’s arm, but she shrugged him off. “She needed my help, so I helped. It’s my job to help all of you guys.”

“But - I can’t believe it, out of all people, you’re the one to sabotage me?”

“First of all, sweetie, take it down a notch or the entire department won’t shut up about ‘trouble in paradise’ for the entire week. Second of all”, Shane grinned, trying to melt the ice of Betty’s exterior, “are you jealous of me? You know I’ve given my heart to you, Elizabeth Ruhren, a long time ago.”

The only sure method to break Betty’s bad mood was killing her with cuteness.

“I’m not jealous, come on. I just don’t like the fact that she’s here, little Miss ‘oh, I graduated from Parsons two years ago,’ walking around like she owns the place, like she’s better than anyone else, not talking to anyone and making a fucking dress in a week. That’s what bothers me. And if she takes the jacket spot, I’m blaming you.”

“Yeah, because that’s logical,” muttered Shane.

“What did you say?”

“Okay, whatever you say, babe. You can do that, or you can put all that energy into designing a kickass jacket, because I know you can do that.”

“Believe me, I will.” Betty took her sketchbook, sending Shane one last challenging look, to which he just smiled in return.

***

“Okay, Naomi, turn this way.” Naomi smiled sweetly at the photographer who Sutan had introduced to her as Mathu Anderson. Naomi had no idea who that was, but Sutan seemed like it was a big deal and when she learned he had shot for Victoria’s Secret she had been just about to burst with happiness.

They weren’t doing anything as exciting as Victoria’s Secret today though, it was actually downright boring. They were shooting her first set of portfolio pictures, and Naomi hadn’t even chosen her own clothes. Sutan’s assistant, Mimi Imfurst, or rather Mimi ImbitchybecauseImoldandoverweight had given her a selection of clothing to choose from. Naomi wasn’t even the only model to shoot that day, but she knew that she was the prettiest.

"How is this, Mr. Anderson?” Naomi asked teasingly, posing, thrusting her chest out and looking towards the camera with a sultry gaze. Mathu snapped away happily.

Sutan was there; and she knew that he knew that she knew that she was watching him, watching her work. He hadn’t taken his eyes off of her since the moment she stepped on set in nothing but a little black bodysuit, her long hair artfully put into loose curls. He was so cute when what he wanted was being flaunted in front of him and he couldn’t react the way he wanted to, and Naomi knew he wanted her, she was certain of it.

“Okay Naomi, 2 more shots, and then there’ll be a quick 10 minute break before the next look,” Mathu called out as he took another photo of her at a different angle.  
  
“Yes, Mr. Anderson!”

***  
  
Violet was sitting at her desk, her headphones on, quietly humming along to Edvard Gring’s piece of classical music while embroidering the bottom of her jacket, her fingers quick and nimble while she worked, her jacket almost done. She knew it was a long shot going for a collection spot so soon, but when she had heard that they were allowed to do flowers, she knew she had to at least try.

Violet felt a tap on her shoulder, and she took off her headphones looking up at April who was smiling at her. Violet was incredibly thankful for the fact that April was in the same department as her. She had originally approached the girl who was sitting opposite of her asking for a simple favor, but for some reason they were friends now, or at least friendly, which was also one of the reasons Violet had started to come into the office more.

“Hey April.” Violet smiled and moved the mannequin standing by her desk so April had room to sit down, a quick look at Manila making sure that they weren’t annoying or distracting the woman. Violet had meant to get her mannequin stripped down and her gown put away, but she hadn’t gotten around to it yet. Trixie was a great boss, his moods very rarely switching, the design department following a very similar rotation each week which was incredible for Violet, the routine giving her the option of moving her trips to the gym to every morning after the pre-work rush, since Violet didn’t have to come in before ten, the new routine even letting her schedule accommodate Sutan’s sometimes, since Trixie didn’t care when or how she got her work done as long as it was done. Violet even had a weekday shopping date with Sutan, Raja and Raven, happily agreeing to help Raven with picking out clothes for their trip to Aspen. Violet was a little upset about not going, but it was okay too, she knew they would have fun and when they got back she could see the pictures and hear Sutan tell her about the trip.

“Can I help you with something?”

“The printer is being a diva again, can you help me? I know you have all that… What do you say, conocimientos técnicos”

“You know I don’t speak Spanish,” Violet laughed, she was already putting down her things ready to get up and give April a hand, having battled her fair share of copy machines in her time as Fame’s assistant. “But sure.”

“Pobre niña blanca, vas a aprender en el tiempo.”

*

Pearl was stomping her feet on the pavement, trying to get rid of the snow that stuck to her heels. She was waiting on Laila in front of her building, smoking a cigarette, wishing she had brought her gloves. The cold was a bitch.

When Laila finally emerged, she was a vision in black, bundled up in a winter jacket, a hat and a huge scarf, but still in a short skirt and stockings, her makeup flawless like always.

“Hey,” Laila said, giving Pearl a small wave.

Cold didn’t matter anymore as Pearl felt warmth creep all over her as she stepped closer to Laila and gave her a kiss hello, careful not to ruin both their lipsticks. “Hello, gorgeous.”

They took a walk through the park and Pearl didn’t even complain about the frosty, crisp air, enjoying the company of her new, wonderful girlfriend, soaking in every word that left Laila’s lips, holding her small hand in hers.

That was until Laila broke free and ran, giggling like a maniac, to grab a handful of snow, form a ball and throw it right at poor, defenseless Pearl. The snowball hit her in the shoulder.

Pearl stood, shell-shocked, flicking the snow off her coat, staring at the little devil in disguise who was smiling teasingly at Pearl.

“You little bitch!” laughed the blonde, bending over to pick up some snow herself as Laila started escaping, giggling non-stop. Pearl only just realized that not bringing gloves was an even bigger mistake than she thought. “Fucking fuck, I’ll get you!”

“You wish!” Laila turned to assess the amount of danger and Pearl took a swing at the perfect moment, managing to knock Laila’s hat off her head.

“Alright, alright, I give up!” screamed Laila, scrambling to pick the hat up, gasping for air. Pearl approached her to help, cleaning the snow off the hat and placing it back on Laila’s head.

“Here, I don’t want you to get a cold.”

“Awww, aren’t you lovely.” Laila grinned, and Pearl couldn’t stop herself from grabbing her by the waist and kissing her, Laila’s lips parting below hers, breaths mixing, lipsticks be damned.

Pearl doubted if she ever felt that happy before.

*

“Thank you so much for letting me in.” Naomi smiled sweetly at Sutan.

Naomi had been patiently waiting at a cafe around the corner for the right moment. She knew today was Sutan’s day off and that he was working from home, since she had called Mimi with a fake question to check if he was really in the office.

The weather forecast had said that a snowstorm would come up and the moment it came true, Naomi went out in it, her only defense against the cold a light jacket, high heels and a dress. It didn’t take long before she was completely soaked, her fingers practically ice before she called Sutan.

“It’s no problem. I’m glad you called, maybe this will teach you to always carry enough change for a cab…”

Sutan smiled, shaking his head before he stepped aside, letting her into his home. He had sounded puzzled when she had called him, teeth clacking in the cold, her voice desperate as she told him she was in his neighborhood. Naomi knew it had been a gamble but it had been worth it: she was inside his apartment.

Naomi quickly checked her reflection in the hallway mirror, her makeup still in place even if her hair was covered in snow.

The first step of Operation Daddy has gone completely according to plan.

Naomi had been going over her options for weeks now, Sutan never doing anything no matter what she did. She had worn low-cut dresses and ass-hugging jeans, she had pretended to be a sultry seductress and a sweet little baby girl, she had bent over his desk and even brought a lollipop to a meeting once, but none of it had gotten more than that warm smile he always gave her, and his hand on her shoulder. Sutan had told her he would take her clothes shopping soon for a go-see wardrobe and that meant she would be spending an entire day with him, which was the third step in Operation Daddy.

Naomi has asked the girls she lived with, trying to get information out of them, but none of them had ever heard any rumours around the agency, and none of them had been even close to getting to his apartment. There was a single rumour, however, about Raven Petruschin who was Sutan’s favorite and his joy and pride, but Naomi would deal with that soon enough.

For now she had to focus on the fact that she was in his apartment, basically already halfway to step two. Naomi couldn’t help but smile as she stepped out of her heels, her toes freezing, but it didn’t matter.

Sutan had taken Naomi’s jacket and hung it up on the rail. Naomi’s brow furrowed slightly when she noticed a snow white jacket, the fabric almost blinding as it was completely clean, even though it smelled slightly of… was that coffee? The cut was feminine, and Naomi couldn’t imagine Sutan wearing it, but the men of New York were weird, so what did she know.

“The bathroom is that way, the dryer is in the linen closet on your left hand side.” Sutan pointed to show her the way. “I laid out a pair of sweats and a t-shirt for you that you can wear while your clothes get dry. Are you a tea, or a coffee girl?”

Naomi felt a surge of warmth in her chest, touched by Sutan’s thoughtfulness. “Do you have juice or something? I don’t really like hot things…”

“Sure, whatever you say, kiddo.”

“Thank you, daddy.” Naomi smiled when Sutan laughed and shook his head before he made his way to the kitchen.

Naomi walked through the living room, the entire thing kept in shades of green and dark materials with heavy oak furniture, the only burst of color being two blue fuzzy blankets on the couch. Naomi looked at the art on the walls, satisfied with the choice of such a sophisticated man as her future boyfriend. She would fit in well in the apartment, and the first thing she would do was to clean the mess on the living room table, stacks of paper and fabric and yarn and pens and pencils and something that looked like the bottom of a gown cluttering it. Naomi didn’t have time to check it out, but it was nice that Sutan had flaws, every good relationship was after all built on the ability to forgive, and if he was a little messy, who was she to hold that against him.

Naomi made her way to the bathroom, getting out of her clothes and dressing in what Sutan had laid out for her, which was a pair of soft, grey sweats and a black t-shirt, the top swallowing her up. Naomi looked around the bathroom, desperately wishing she had time to snoop around and see what she could find, but she didn’t dare. She had already taken too long to get ready and she didn’t want Sutan to get suspicious. Naomi pulled on a pair of fuzzy socks too and gathered her hair up in a bun before she went back to the kitchen.

“Hey…”

“Hey.”

Sutan smiled. He was sitting at the kitchen table, a big portfolio book laying in front of him, a stack of Post-It notes at his side. Naomi recognized the book and knew it was a talent book from one of the smaller agencies outside of New York, the companies all hoping that either Elite or Model Management would buy their models.

Sutan’s glasses were perched on his nose, his black sweater pulled up around his elbows, showing off his muscular forearms and his tattoos. Naomi loved those tattoos, loved to look at them whenever she got the chance and wonder where they came from. Sutan was smoking a cigarette, a half-filled ashtray showing it wasn’t his first, the exhaust hood making white noise in the background as it cleaned the air in the kitchen, making sure the tobacco scent didn’t linger. Naomi didn’t really know why, but Sutan’s smoking habits changed like the wind blew, almost as if he was trying to stop but his heart wasn’t in it completely, as if he was doing it for someone else.

“Your apartment is gigantic.” Naomi sat down at the table opposite of Sutan, trying to sneak a peek into the book, but he closed it.

“Do you think I’m joking when I tell you to work hard?” Sutan smiled. “All of this could be yours one day.”

And it would. Naomi smiled sweetly as she watched Sutan put out his cigarette. The scent took her back to the time Sutan had come to pick her up in Brooklyn and take her home. He had gotten her into his car and wrapped her in a blanket in the backseat. It had felt so safe and warm back there, the world outside dark and scary, her head spinning, but it hadn’t mattered because she knew Sutan knew where they were going and that he would take care of her.

“Now, what about the glass of juice, kiddo?” Naomi got ripped out of her daydream as Sutan got up and went to the fridge. “I have apple, orange, multi and carrot.”

Naomi crinkled her nose. “Carrot juice? Really? Does anyone even drink that?”

“My girlfriend drinks it for breakfast sometimes. I personally think it tastes like dirt, but she likes it, so I have it.”

“… Your girlfriend?”

And all of a sudden all of it made sense, the heels in the hallway she had dismissed, the other empty plate resting by the sink, the extra toothbrush in the bathroom and even the nail polish she could see sitting at the edge of the kitchen table.

Of course, how could she have been so blind? Naomi felt a momentary panic wash over her, but she centered herself. Her grandma had always told her to go after her dreams, and Naomi was nothing if not a fighter, and a single curve ball wasn’t going to throw her out of the game.

*

“Laila!” Pearl smiled, her entire face lighting up when she saw the girl walk into the department.

Laila looked around the room; when Pearl had told her she worked in social media, this was the last thing she had expected. It was a large space with several people working, Laila could count 7 just from what she could see. There was a meeting going on at the end of the room, a tall leggy girl with short blonde hair presenting something that looked like statistics.

Pearl’s desk was gigantic and filled with no less than three computer screens, one of them having Pearl’s Twitter feed, one opened on a word document and one filled with weird code Laila couldn’t recognize at all.

“We’re doing some rework on the webpage, so it’s kinda messy in here.” Pearl smiled, giving Laila a kiss on the cheek and pulling out a chair so Laila could sit down. An old-fashioned phone rang, and Pearl took the call. “Social Media, Pearl Liaison speaking, hey Ivy, you need what? Sure, sure, I’ll have Kandy look at it, yes I’m sending my intern, they have to learn one way or another.”

Seeing Pearl in a professional environment was weird for Laila, almost as weird as when they went to Le Bernardin and Pearl spoke French. A smile on Laila’s lips was growing as she observed her girlfriend opening up document after document.

“I just need another 200 words about the new Calvin Klein loafers and we can go get some lunch.”

“No problem, I can wait.”

“You’re the best.” Pearl squeezed Laila’s knee and started typing away, but couldn’t really concentrate as people kept coming to her desk, everybody asking her wuestions and pushing papers for her to sign.

“Pearl, you need to sign this for Alyssa.”

“Pearl, what photo do you want on the Facebook page? I like the first one better, but Max’s personal favorite was the shoulder one.”

“Pearl, there’s a new flood of hate mail from that group of Christian moms in Louisiana, we have to deal with that.”

“Shit, sorry Laila, Laganja, could you get Laila a snack or something? It’s going to be a while longer.”

Pearl was talking to someone on the phone, speaking a language about fonts, wordcounts and pixels that Laila couldn’t fathom bothering to understand. She spun around in her chair, swinging her feet in boredom, sipping on the diet Coke Laganja had gotten for her through a straw. Even though it was an open office, Pearl’s desk was raised a little, sitting upon a plateau so she could easily overlook the room, with a little door to the side that Pearl had told Laila led to her writers’ room where she went whenever she had to get some actual work done, do interviews or talk with one of her employees.

Laila turned around, noticing a table behind Pearl that was filled with packages. Laila tugged on Pearl’s cuff and Pearl placed a hand over her phone. “What’s that?”

“It’s my mail, you can open some of it if you want, I’m a few days behind.”

Laila looked at the stack of nearly 20 packages, wondering what would happen if Pearl stopped opening her mail for a week. She started opening them, her eyes growing wider and wider with each and every box. It was everything between heaven and earth: colorful stuff from Lush, books from publishers, snackboxes, workout gear, the brand names making Laila’s head spin, makeup samples in abundances from Mac, Sally Hansen, Dior and Chanel, magazines of all kinds, some jewerly and even tech gadgets, like the newest Beatz headphones Laila was reading about just yesterday.

“Did you order this?” she asked, Pearl still wrapped in a phone conversation.

“What? No, hold on, Courtney.” Pearl placed her hand over her phone again. “That’s just samples.”

“Samples?”

“Yes, companies send me stuff in hope that I’ll use it and show it on my private media.”

“You get free stuff for featuring things on Instagram? Like - seriously? Why?”

“One sec.” Pearl unlocked her phone and fired up her Instagram. “You know my follower count, right?”

Laila actually never bothered to check it before. “You have 4,2 million followers? Are you fucking kidding me?”

“Bible has almost seven.”

“Thousand?”

“No silly, millions.”

Laila scrolled through the page, her surprise giving way to a warm feeling curling in her belly whenever she saw a picture of anything her and Pearl had done together. Now, judging from the more than 4 million people that followed Pearl, Laila could understand how the girl received free stuff to advertise on her social.

“Anyway, here.” Pearl gave Laila an empty totebag and gestured to the pile of stuff that came in the mail. “Grab as much of that stuff as you want, I can’t keep up anyway.”

“Are you serious?” Laila felt her heart beating faster for the makeup samples and the headphones. “Even the headphones?”

“Whatever you wish, boo.” Pearl winked, going back to the conversation on the phone, Laila filling the totebag and some of her purse with things nobody else wanted or needed, apparently. She was all about taking opportunities, but this still felt weird.

“Okay, done!” Pearl exclaimed fifteen minutes later, closing down her computer. “Ganja, I’m leaving you in charge!”

“Ay ay, boss!”

“Let’s go.” Pearl wrapped her arm around Laila’s waist, leading her out of the department. They were almost out the door when Pearl’s phone started ringing.

“Hello? Oh fuck, shit, I forgot! Yes, yes, I’m here! I’ll be there in a minute, thanks, Violet!”

“Oh shit, fuck, Laila. I forgot to return something to Trixie, and he’s in a meeting with Fame.” Pearl was frantically searching all over her jacket, her jeans and her bags, when her fingers finally closed around a small jewelry box which was filled with memory cards when she opened it. Pearl grabbed Laila’s hand, not even thinking as she practically dragged the other girl into the elevator and up another floor.

“I’m sorry, I’ll make it up to you, I promise, but my boss does not play around!”

***  
Pearl raced down the hall, dragging Laila with her, as always. Everything was so blindingly white at Galactica that Laila barely had any time to register where they were going until they passed through a door, which was held open by a woman who was so tall that Laila had to crank her neck to see her face.

Laila had always believed she was of a decent size, but since getting to know Pearl, who towered over her, she started to feel like a midget most of the time.

“She’s not happy, but I think I’ve stalled her, you still have 30 seconds, now go, go, go!” said the brunette girl.

Pearl placed a kiss on the other woman’s cheek, a grateful expression on her face. “I love you.”

The woman laughed and pushed Pearl towards a second set of doors, which Pearl disappeared behind. Laila was still catching her breath when the tall girl extended a perfectly manicured hand to her.

“Hey, you must be Laila, I’m Violet.”

Laila was painfully aware of how sweaty her hand was when she shook Violet’s that was dry and a little cold, her own bitten nails a sharp contrast to the soft pink of Violet’s.

“Do you want a chair or something? You look a little winded.”

“Yeah, yeah sure, that’s nice.”

Violet smiled and nodded, quickly pulling out a chair for Laila. The girl looked around the place, another open department space, but this time filled with mannequins, scraps of fabric everywhere and generally much more messy and colorful, although the desk Violet was sitting at was minimalistic and all in perfect order.

“I’m sorry, but the meeting might take a little while. Fame does not like to be kept waiting. Do you want some water or some tea? It’s usually only for special guests, but since you’re with Pearl, I think we can make an exception.”

Laila smiled; she could see that the girl was trying to be nice, but all she could think about was how she had most likely only asked because Laila was short of breath. Stripping and running were two very different ballgames, and just because Laila could hang upside down on a pole did not mean she could run to save her life.

“A water would be nice…”

“Coming right up.” Violet smiled and disappeared into a small kitchenette. Laila could hear the rhythmic clacking of heels as the girl got a tray ready for her. The short break gave Laila a chance to look around the space again, her gaze falling upon a mannequin wearing a long, purple gown studded with hundreds of purple stones.

“I’m sorry I’ve kept you waiting.” Violet came back with a tray. She leaned in to pour water for Laila and she smelled of perfume that, obviously, must’ve been very expensive. “Umh… Laila, was it?”

“That’s my name, don’t wear it out!” Laila grinned, hoping that the joke would ease the mood, but Violet didn’t even crack a smile.

“I’m sorry to tell you this, but there is a hole in your stocking.”

Laila looked down and she couldn’t help but swear. This was her last nice pair, and she had worn them specifically for today because she wanted to look her best for her date with Pearl.

“Here.” Violet opened a drawer in her desk and pulled out a pair of black tights in an unopened box, and she handed them to Laila.

“What? Violet, no, I can’t accept these. They look really expensive!”

“Don’t mention it.”

Violet opened a door to a small room filled with clothes and some papers, just big enough for two people.

“But hurry up, it sounds like they’re starting to wrap everything up.”

She gave Laila a gentle push and closed the door halfway behind her so Laila had a little privacy to change her stockings.

This day was becoming weirder and weirder. Laila only had meant to pick up Pearl so they could go out to eat together, and instead, she had been sucked into a world where no one had chipped fingernails, people got free makeup samples on the daily and young designers kept stockings, instead of scissors and needles, in their desk drawers. Laila made the quickest costume change she has ever accomplished in her career and was out of the small supply closet only moments before the office door opened and Pearl emerged.

“Ah, there you are, Laila!” Pearl smiled and sneaked an arm around Laila’s shoulders. “Are you ready to go?”

Laila smiled, the weight and feel of Pearl making everything else that had happened that day seem unimportant. She was where she belonged, and that was all that mattered. She nodded.

“Good! Thank you for taking care of her, ViVi.”

“Don’t call me that.”

Violet was sitting at her desk, drawing something on a piece of paper, not even looking up as she replied.

“Are we still on for yoga tomorrow?‘”

This made Violet look up, a teasing smile on her face.

’'If you think you can make it.”

“I will make it, even if I have to sleep in your bed.”

“Only if you’re the little spoon.” Violet laughed. “But fine, fine, yes, we have a deal, but know that I will be very upset if you’re not sleeping next to me tomorrow when I wake up.”

“It’s a date!” Pearl smiled as well, sending Violet an air kiss as she and Laila walked out of design.

*

Everything seemed perfectly okay until the elevator door slid closed, and Pearl felt Laila shrug off the hand that was wrapped around her shoulders. The girl’s expression was clear anger and hurt.

“What’s going on?”

Laila didn’t answer, and that made Pearl very uncomfortable.

“What? Did I do something wrong? Just, just tell me, Laila. I’m not a fucking mind reader.”

“It’s okay”, said Laila through her gritted teeth, smoothing out her short skirt. Pearl shrugged. If she didn’t want to talk, then there was really nothing Pearl could do, right?

Two floors down, Laila burst. “You were flirting with her. While I was right there.”

“What?!” Pearl had no idea what Laila meant, and when it dawned on her, she almost laughed. “You mean Violet? Oh my God, I wasn’t flirting with her! How did you even get that?”

“Are you serious? You’ve basically made plans to sleep with her, and you said you loved her? Come on. I have ears. And eyes, too, and she’s a gorgeous girl. I don’t blame you.”

“No, no, you got it all wrong! She’s my roommate, we live together and we’re completely platonic! I mean, I think I was in love with her before, but then I was a bitch and I kissed someone else and then she hooked up with this guy from Elite that she is like… ‘dating’ now, and I am and was totally dead in the water. So there’s nothing to worry about!“

Laila looked up at Pearl as if the blonde was losing her mind, and raised her eyebrows. The elevator stopped at 5th floor and she pushed past Pearl. The man who was about to enter the elevator took a quick look from Pearl to Laila, who was disappeared down a corridor, and Pearl snapped into action. She ran out of the elevator as well, following Laila, who encountered a dead end corridor and was now leaning against a windowsill. And holy fuck, she was crying. Pearl didn’t expect that.

“Laila, baby.” She approached her slowly, lightly touching her shoulder. Laila didn’t recoil, so that was a step in the right direction. Pearl hated the fact that she made her sad, and wanted to redeem herself right away.

“It’s okay, Pearl, I told you. You can be roommates and friends with stunning models, or whoever, you can sleep with them too, who am I to ask you not to?”

Laila was swallowing tears and smearing them on her cheeks, ruining her eyeliner. Pearl’s heart was wrenching. “Do you think I want to sleep with anybody else?”

“I don’t know, Pearl. I seriously don’t know. Don’t make me guess.”

“I’ve got you. Why would I need other girls?”

“Because I’m - I’m me. Just me. I’ve been feeling so out of place ever since we set foot in this building, you know? It’s your world, clearly, and I don’t belong in this place of white walls and flawless manicure, and your girl Violet keeps stockings in her desk drawer. Fucking new, crisp stockings, do you realize? How could I ever compare to that?”

“Oh my God, have you ever seen yourself, babe? Did you ever really look in the mirror?” It felt like a blessing, like a light shining on Pearl from the heavens, because she suddenly knew perfectly well what she was supposed to say, and what she wanted to say, too. “Do you realize how beautiful you are when you’re up on that pole and your body is so perfect, so hot? Or when you sing, and your voice gives me shivers? Or when you wake up in the morning and your hair is an absolute mess, but you’re still so adorable? Do you think I give a fuck about Violet’s stockings?”

“No, Pearl, stop. You don’t have to do that. Just don’t.”

“Wait.” Pearl took Laila by the hand, afraid that the girl was going to run again. “Do you realize that I broke up with Adore for you? I know I’m a slut, but sluts have feelings sometimes too.”

“What are you trying to say?” Pearl felt Laila’s fingers wrap around her hand softly, so she moved closer to be able to hold Laila, and kissed the top of her head. The shorter girl sighed loudly.

“I don’t do this much, so help me out here, okay?”

Laila nodded.

“I think I’m trying to say I’ve been trying to be a good girlfriend, because I care about you. And I don’t want anybody else. I still kinda stumble in the dark and make mistakes, but I’m trying. And I really, really like you. Fine?”

Laila nodded again, a smile appearing on her face. Pearl felt warmth grow inside of her chest as she caressed Laila’s forearms and bent down to kiss her lips, still salty from the tears, but Laila kissed back, lacing her forehead with Pearl’s afterwards.

“Sorry for snapping at you. I really like you too, you know?” whispered Laila.

“I fucking hope so.”

“Like, like you like you.”

“That’s awesome,” said Pearl, trying and failing to remove traces of mascara from Laila’s cheeks. “Let’s go clean you up in a bathroom and maybe we can finally get that dinner, because it’s too late for lunch now.”

“Alright, but you’re buying.”

***

“I swear if I knew Patrick had hired an in-house masseuse for his companies, and that they were this good, I would have gotten a weekly massage planned a long time ago.” Raja settled into the couch in her office. She and Miss Fame had decided to let their assistants off early so they could go and hang out in the makeup department. Both Ivy and Courtney had been distracted all day since Alaska was having a party for the launch of their new eyeshadow palette; and everyone knew it would be quite the party since Alaska was a little peacock of a woman, always ready to throw colors around.

“I agree.” Fame settled in beside her best friend, and her business partner, finally relaxing after a long day. Raja had planned a well-earned massage and a dinner for them and Fame was very grateful for it. Fame loved how perceptive Raja was, the other woman always on top of everything, which always brought a great sense of comfort to Fame. She had definitely needed the massage as a pick-me-up in the middle of a week of watching Courtney’s every move on top of a new product launch. “I can’t wait until my next session.” Fame finished as she shook her hair from its tight bun, the soft blonde hair falling out and settling around her shoulders. The two woman decided to stay in, neither of them interested in having to go out and the unavoidable lack of privacy and unnecessary attention it would cause.

Raja began pulling out a stack of sealed containers that Ivy had heated for them before she left. “It’s been a good season for us. It may be our best yet.” Raja turned to Fame, a smile on her face.

“You say that every season, Raja.” Replied Fame as she began pouring out drinks for the them. Non-alcoholic for Fame, and a drink of whatever Raja had in her fridge for the tall woman.

“That’s because I mean it each and every time.” Raja replied as she set out two glass plates, a set of simple silverware, soup spoons and black chopsticks. “Every collection is a work of art in itself.”

“Touché.” Fame replied simply, looking at the food in front of them. “Oh! Did Mani make all of this? I love her sop kambing!” Exclaimed Fame as she opened a sealed container. She hadn’t had Indonesian food in a long time so the fact that it was on the menu for tonight was definitely a lovely surprise.

“Yea, she was like ‘oh it so cold. You take kambing, shaee wit Anada.’ You know how my mother is,” Raja said with a laugh, done imitating her mother. “She also sent some rendang, and some otak-otak.” She finished as she opened the other container lids.

“I love your mother,” sighed Fame as she took the container of rendang and started spooning some onto their plates. “Patrick and I need to go visit her soon, I feel like I haven’t seen her in ages. Is she out of the eggs I sent her? Is she alright?” Whenever Fame and Patrick went to their farm, she would always try and bring something back for the twin’s mother since she was like a surrogate mother to her, the elder woman’s happiness and gratitude for the fresh organic groceries always filling Fame with joy.

Raja smiled prettily. Everyone absolutely adored her and Sutan’s mother, and Raja couldn’t blame them; Mani was like everyone’s mom. If she knew you were sick, she would make you soup and drive into the city or wherever you were to bring it to you with some ginger and honey tea. The long drive not scaring her at all. If it was your birthday, she would make you a cake and your favorite food and invite you to dinner. Mani was just the quintessential mother to her and Sutan’s close friends and partners. “Yeah, she’s pretty awesome; she asked about you the other day when Sutan and I went to visit with her.”

“Aw, that’s wonderful. Tell her that Patrick and I miss her dearly.” Fame was touched. Since she lived so far away from her own mother, it was hard to visit her as often as she wanted and she missed having a maternal figure close by. Thankfully the twins didn’t mind letting her borrow their mother from time to time, the older woman always giving her all the calm and guidance she needed.

“Maybe we can make it down there to visit her this weekend. I have some fresh milk, some eggs and a couple of jars of raw honey for her from the farm.”

“Oh, I’m sure she’d love that.” Raja replied as she slowly ladled the soup into separate bowls. “She always loves it when you come to visit with Patrick, especially when you bring her fresh things from the farm,” she continued as she set the bowl back down on the elevated coffee table that was holding their lunch and laptop. “You’re making Sutan and I look bad, just like little Miss Violet.” Raja finished with a laugh. It was wonderful to be with her best friend, just relax and joke around, the grown up responsible women they were having been left at the door, giving room to simply Raja and Fame.

“Aww, my poor darling is upset,” Fame said with an exaggerated sigh and forlorn look. “The world will never be the same ever again.”

“You are so full of it, I’m not even that dramatic,” Raja said with a laugh as she opened up Netflix. “You definitely have me confused with Raven,” she finished with a laugh as she took a quick sip of her drink. “Oh, this is good.”

“Well, you two are pretty much attached at the hip,” Fame said as she took a sip of her own drink. “I made mint juleps for you, but instead of using rum, I used champagne. Give it a little pop.”

“I love it,” said Raja as she was flipping through the movie selection. “It’s very unexpected but delightful,” she continued. “You’re going to have to write it down for me; Rave is having a dinner party on Wednesday, so this would be cute with dessert.”

“Awww, tell her I won’t be able to make it,” frowned Miss Fame at the thought of missing one of Raven’s dinner parties. “Patrick and I are having dinner with his sister and her future in-laws,” she finished, resting her head in her hands.

“Moral support?”

“More like referees,” Fame said with a sigh at the future drama. “Her mother-in-law hates his sister.”

“What happened?” asked Raja in surprise; she’d met Patrick’s sister Alice and she was an absolute delight.

“Her fiancé’s mother is just mad that her ‘little baby boy’ is really a 29 year old accountant,” replied Fame in a flat tone. “It’s a shit show I swear,” she said with a sigh.

“Clearly,” Raja said just as flatly. “But enough of that! It’s time for entertainment.”

“Yay! What are we watching?”

“Purple Rain since that seems to be a trend around the office,” replied Raja with a smile.

“You noticed that too?” asked Fame with wide eyes. She noticed that a lot of their employees had a purple something on today, even the masseuse had dark purple smock tops.

“You know it!” replied Raja. “I miss nothing.”

Fame smiled at her friend who was queuing up the movie to begin. “Which is why you’re my right hand,” she said with a laugh, but it was a true fact. The main reason, besides her obvious talent, professionalism even when drunk and her seemingly endless contacts in the fashion and entertaining industry as to why Fame brought Raja on as her right hand in the company, was the fact that nothing happened in the building without Raja knowing about it. Without the ex-model’s connections, they wouldn’t have gotten nearly as big as they were in the short amount of time in which it happened. But she was endlessly thankful; she took a risk on an up-and-coming designer and it was still paying off.

“Awww, that’s what they all say,” Raja replied with a playfully dismissive wave of her hand at Fame’s statement. “Come on and let’s eat, the movie’s starting.”

***

Sounds of violin were filling the entire apartment and Shane’s entire mind, being the only thing he could focus on in this very moment. His arm kept dancing, fingers on the bow firmly, the music perfect until his ears picked up one, tiny false note.

“Shit.” He had to start all over again, sighing deeply, determined to get it right in the end, registering briefly that Betty just walked into the bedroom, wearing just a towel wrapped around her body, her hair wet, and sat down at the edge of the bed. Shane started playing again, trying to concentrate, but he couldn’t stop looking at his girlfriend, who kept crossing and uncrossing her legs, twisting a strand of hair with her fingers, smiling at him teasingly. He wasn’t supposed to think about that now, he was supposed to get the melody right; he was so, so close. Betty stood up and walked to the window to close the curtains; the towel fell to the floor like a white flag, revealing her naked body in all its glory.

Shane’s melody broke. His arms fell along his body, one with the violin, one with the bow, breath catching in his throat. Without her clothes on, Betty was still his favorite piece of art to look at.

“Baby…”

“What is it? Am I bothering you?” she asked, slowly picking up the towel and throwing it on the bed, her expression as innocent as she could master. Shane swallowed loudly as she approached him, a swing in her steps, her hips rolling, and dropped to her knees without hesitation. “Keep playing, honey. Don’t let me disturb you.”

Shane was all about taking upon a challenge, so he picked up the violin again, trying to steady his breath as Betty unbuckled and unzipped his pants, letting them to fall to his ankles. He was hard already, Betty always working unexplainable magic on him, pressing a few feathery kisses to his skin first, then looking up with her deer-like eyes.

“Come on,” she said demandingly, her head gesturing to the violin in Shane’s arms, so he started playing again, the notes shaky as Betty was pumping him to the rhythm of his music.

She was the worst tease, the most talented witch as she kept messing with his head and his body and he didn’t even mind, he was doing more or less alright with the violin, keeping the melody on track, until Betty removed her hand from his cock and swallowed him whole, without trouble and without a moment’s thought. The sudden warmth of her mouth made Shane slide the bow across the strings, making an awful sound, the pleasure becoming too intense. He reached behind himself as fast as he could to safely put the violin away on the chair, his hands finally free to touch Betty wherever he could reach. He ran his fingers along her collarbones, and then tangled them into her wet hair, softly guiding her head.

“Oh my God, baby, you’re so amazing, you know? You’re so good, so good, and I love you, but I also kind of hate you, you know what I mean? I don’t, I don’t – Betty – ”

She rolled her eyes expressively and stopped sucking him. “Please shut up.”

In a spur of the moment, Shane grabbed Betty by the hand, forcing her to stand up, and lead her to the bed where he pushed her, enjoying the way her breasts bounced as she fell against the pillows, quickly dragging Shane close to wrap her legs around him.

“I’m sorry I talk so much. You’re just so beautiful and I love you.”

“I love you too, idiot.” She kissed him and Shane could taste fresh water, he could taste mint and honey, always a hint of honey, when she drew her teeth into Shane’s lower lip, at the same time guiding Shane’s hips to suggest what he should finally do.

As he entered her, everything else became a blur of love and desire, the only constant being the heat between their bodies and Betty’s eyes, the pupils blown wide. She threw her head back against the pillows and twisted her hands in the sheets, finally at peace.

***

“You completely took me by surprise, that was so, so unfair. I was trying to accomplish something there.”

“Yeah, but wasn’t it nice to accomplish something… else?” Betty’s head was resting on Shane’s arm, the two of them lying in bed, naked on top of the covers, as Betty was drawing abstract shapes on Shane’s chest with her finger.

Shane laughed, his entire body shaking, kissing Betty where he could reach with his mouth, that being her right eyebrow. “Still, you’re a mean, mean girl, Elizabeth.”

“Whatever. Goodnight, nerd. You’re killing that song by the way, you know? If you’re able to play it with my mouth on your dick, imagine how good it’s gonna sound at the show.”

“I fucking hope you’re right.”

Shane pulled a blanket over the both of them, letting himself fall into the silence of the night.

***  
Bianca leaned over the bar, already exhausted from making nice at Marie Claire’s annual pre-holiday season cocktail party.

“Pour faster or you’re fired,” she hissed at the bartender, who dumped the rest of the bottle directly into her glass. She smiled sweetly at him. “Thank you.”

She took a long sip and then turned around, assessing the party. She’d taken care of everyone who mattered. The designers, the photographers, and most importantly, the advertisers. Her jaw ached from sucking all that metaphorical dick.

Just then, there was a stir as Miss Fame breezed into the room, tossing her coat to a small blonde standing behind her. Bianca seethed at Courtney stumbling backwards slightly, weighed down with packages and bags which she gingerly placed on the coat check table. Miss Fame greeted someone grandly and then said something to Courtney, snapping her fingers when Courtney didn’t immediately answer. Bianca strode towards them, quelling a very strong desire to clock Fame right in the jaw.

“Fame! Darling! So glad you could make it!”

“Hello my dear!” Fame exclaimed, greeting Bianca with air kisses and a charming smile.

“Hi Courtney,” Bianca said, when the blonde turned around with their coat check ticket. She looked fucking adorable, with a pen tucked into her hair, trying to walk in heels that were clearly a size too small.

“Hi,” Courtney replied, giving her a shy smile and handing Fame her phone.

“Bianca, how on earth do you know my assistant?” Fame said, still smiling, but with slightly gritted teeth now.

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Bianca winked at Courtney, who blushed.

Fame turned her head and flashed Courtney a dangerous look, causing her to stammer out, “Oh um, I’m just…Bianca’s sister is my best friend, Miss.”

Letting out a laugh that frankly scared Courtney to her very core, Fame responded, “How very delightful! What a small world we live in. Courtney dear, do you mind scaring me up a glass of Pinot Grigio?”

“Coming right up, Miss!” Courtney hurried away.

Bianca watched her go, and Fame watched Bianca, her eyes narrowing. “Bianca del Rio…”

“What?” Bianca turned back to Fame, batting her thick black eyelashes innocently.

“Do not. Even. THINK about it!”

“Pfffff…” Bianca rolled her eyes.

“I am serious. Leave her alone. Or I will END you.”

“Ooh, I’m so scared, blondie!”

Fame’s eyes narrowed and Bianca let out a loud cackle.

“Calm down, Fame. I’m just fucking with you. Besides, baby girl over there is straight.”

Fame shook her head. “Yes well…everyone’s got a price.”

Bianca laughed again. “Cheers to that!”

***

The silence of an early morning in the empty design department was supposed to calm Betty down, help her gather her thoughts. But she was on her fourth Red Bull can, seeing red, the only thing she could hear being her own swears as she kept scrapping her design of a jacket for the presentation and remaking it, and then again, over and over, still not satisfied with the result. She had stayed here working all evening and then into the night, dismissing a worried call from Shane with a promise of “I’ll probably just be ten more minutes, don’t worry, go to sleep without me.”

She really meant to keep the promise at the time, but that just wasn’t happening. The not-good-enough jacket design was staring at her, and she kept staring back, hatefully, until she heard a noise by the door. A quick look at her watch confirmed it was 5:30 in the morning. Maintenance? So early?

Violet Chachki walked into the department, dressed as if she just went for a run, headphones on, completely missing Betty’s presence as she jogged to her desk to pick up some sketches. Betty’s breath caught in her throat, a strange feeling of agitation and unease overcoming her at the sight of a new girl. She sat up straighter, making sure Violet would see her on her way back to the door, and Violet did. As soon as she turned around, her eyes landed on Betty. She dropped everything she was holding and clutched her chest in fear.

“Oh my God! Betty, hi! What are you doing here at…” Violet looked at her watch “5:30 in the morning?”

“Working.” Betty tried to make it sound like it was an obvious answer to a stupid question. “What are YOU doing here?”

“I forgot a stack of sketches, I know, I know it’s unprofessional but – ” Betty cocked an eyebrow. Coming to a fashion house in gym gear was pretty damn unprofessional. “But I was on my way to pilates anyway so I figured I’d pick them up when I can and then get the last of my presentati – Sorry. I’ll be going now.” The young brunette was apparently nervous, speaking in rocket speed while picking her stuff up. Was Betty making her nervous just by being here? That was fascinating.

“Oh, so you work out, too?”

“Yes, you know what they say, healthy body, healthy mind, or – ” Betty’s only form of exercise for the last few years has been sex, so she didn’t really understand the mindset of someone who got up at 5 to go to pilates or practiced some other shitty modern trend. Violet laughed nervously, still clearly uncomfortable. “Know what, I’ll see you later today, I can’t wait to see what you’ve come up with, Shane told me it was amazing.”

Betty cringed at the name of her loved one spoken in such context. Violet had no right. “Sure.”

“See you later.” Violet turned to leave, almost running for the door. When she was gone, only then Betty could release all the air and tension she kept in her body through the conversation. Her jacket design still sucked, she was hungry, sleepy and miserable and everything she wanted was to take the first cab back home and curl up in the soft, warm bed next to Shane, at least for an hour or two.

But she couldn’t. She picked up her pencil because she had work to do.

***

“Fifteen more minutes? Or half an hour. Pleeeease, baby.” Pearl just turned to the other side, so Laila shrugged and sneaked out of bed. She was thirsty.

Last night, Laila didn’t get to look around Pearl’s apartment at all; they were both drunk and giggly, Pearl insisting that they don’t turn on the lights, repeatedly telling Laila to be quiet because “Max hears everything.” They didn’t even have sex, too tired to do anything but make out a little and then fall asleep.

In the lights of the morning, Laila could see that the apartment was fucking huge. It was like some kind of freaky European daydream. Everything was cream or white and Laila couldn’t believe that five people lived there together and that it still looked so clean.

She followed the delicious smell of homemade pancakes and it lead her into an open kitchen, where a blonde girl with a messy bun on top of her head, in boy boxer shorts, a t-shirt and house shoes was standing by the oven.

“Is that you, Trix? Are you hungry already? I’m making – oh!”

The girl turned around to see someone who was definitely not ‘Trix’, just Laila, feeling a little embarrassed by the fact that she was wearing only panties and one of Pearl’s hoodies. The blonde looked at Laila with curiosity.

“Hi. Sorry. Didn’t mean to disturb you. I just wanted to get some water. I can get that and just go?”

“Oh, come on, don’t be silly! You must be Laila, are you Laila? Pearl has talked so much about you. I’m Katya,” the girl stepped closer to offer Laila a handshake and a blinding smile. “Sit down for pancakes! I can make more for Trixie later.”

She was already pulling out a chair for Laila, so Laila decided to sit down. Katya seemed good-natured and sweet, but still, Laila couldn’t stop worrying about what Pearl has told her roommates about her. She was never going to fit into their world, she wouldn’t even try, but she didn’t want them to hate her either.

Katya set a plate of pancakes in front of Laila and another one in front of herself. Five different kinds of jam were already on the table, as well as cut-up fruit, a bottle of chocolate sauce and whipped cream. Laila watched Katya construct a mountain of strawberries, chocolate and cream on her pancake before she filled her own with apple jam.

“Oh damn, this is good. I am so hungry I could eat like five of these,” said Katya. “Pearl’s still asleep? She never gets out of bed before 11 on a Saturday, so you still have at least two hours until then. But that’s okay, I can keep you company.”

“Do you work for Galactica too?”

“Oh, no no. I used to, but not anymore. I actually teach preschool now! My fiancé Trixie is the head designer though.”

Laila definitely remembered Pearl mentioning Trixie, her best friend, and his girlfriend Katya. “They’re the best people on the fucking planet,” she said to Laila once. Laila didn’t know about Trixie yet, but it seemed to apply for Katya so far.

“Preschool? That’s amazing. And hard, I bet.”

“Yeah, definitely. Very rewarding though, and I wouldn’t change it for the world. What do you do, Laila?”

Laila hesitated with a bite of pancake on her fork. Did Pearl tell them?

“I’m a bartender.”

“Pearl mentioned you were a musician as well! Come on, don’t be shy.” Katya nudged Laila between the ribs with her elbow, causing the shorter girl to laugh.

“Okay, yes, I sing a little. I write my own songs too, just for fun though.”

“Do I smell pancakes?” a male voice came from the corridor and Laila turned just in time to see a guy strut into the kitchen. He was still in pyjamas, rubbing at his sleepy eyes. He walked up to Katya, laying a kiss on top of her head. “And who’s our lovely guest?”

“I’m Laila, Pearl’s –”

“Laila! Finally! So nice to meet you! I’m Trixie and first of all, I have to thank you.”

“What for?”

“Putting Pearl on the right track. She’s been her better self lately, and I don’t have to guess it’s all thanks to you, girl. Let me hug you.”

Trixie embraced Laila and patted her back for a moment while Katya cheered and applauded. Laila felt herself breaking into a wide smile.

“Did I really do that?”

“You did! I don’t know how, maybe it’s just because our idiot has finally met her own idiot, but believe me, you should be proud of yourself. Can I have some of those pancakes now, Katya?”

“Of course, baby!”

Laila listened to Katya and Trixie chat happily, sometimes joining in on the conversation, feeling, strangely, alright and not at all out of place. Before Pearl finally woke up, the three of them were drinking smoothies on the couch in front of the TV, watching Masterchef.

Pearl looked at them with surprise, but then she nodded to herself.

“I really should sleep less. I’m missing all the good parts.”

***

“Our next presentation is by Violet, who has submitted a design for the jacket spot in the upcoming flower collection, Violet, if you could please come to the floor.”

“Yes sir.” Violet nodded, quickly gathering her things. She had been sitting at the back of the room, watching her coworkers present for the last hour or so, her anxiety growing higher and higher as it came closer and closer to being her turn, a paper napkin left behind that she had torn to shreds.

Violet quickly arranged her things at the front of the room while Shane, who was in charge of electronics, pulled up her presentation on the screen so everyone could see while she handed printouts to Raja, Fame and Trixie. Violet could feel Fame’s eyes on her, but she could do this, she had to do this.

Violet took a single step back, and took a deep breath before she smiled.

“Embroidery is, to me, a proud but often forgotten tradition within the world of design. It takes time, it takes skill and it takes precision. For me, Galactica is that. We, as designers at this company, have a responsibility of remembering, preserving and reinventing the skills of our profession, and to bring that to the table every chance we get. A coat is for many an item that is often forgotten, something that gets thrown on to prevent from the cold, but if made right and with care a good coat can become timeless and last seasons, which also means we as a company can charge, not a lot, but a little, more. I have taken the liberty of making three versions of the jacket I’m going to present to you, none of them representing the same price classes, but all of them coming from the same frame of inspiration, the English author Beatrix Potter’s children’s story about a tailor from Gloucester.”

***

Violet was sitting in her chair at her desk, looking at the stack of sketches and patterns and the three jackets that were all stacked in front of her.

Her design had been chosen. Someone had looked at her, and picked the thing  _she_  had made, her, not anyone else.

Violet absentmindedly flipped through the small stack of papers she had given everyone in the room while she was thinking, the pattern for the jacket, a overview of the embroidery laid out, the time frame of production and her budget for each jacket that had been made with help from Shane.

Violet had been so nervous, her heart in her throat as she had been biting the inside of her cheek as Trixie announced who they had picked, the rush of endorphins and the extreme exhaustion that had rolled over her immediately afterwards still fresh in her mind. Violet hoped she had managed to smile, hoped that her face had shown off her gratitude and the happiness she had felt beyond the bone deep ache that had settled into her body, like a puppet that had gotten its strings cut.

Fame had looked at her, had seen what she could do, and she hadn’t turned her away. The woman had said nothing when she had left the room, not even smiling at her or given her the little nod that Violet had spent so many months desperately chasing, but she knew, she knew with absolute certainty that Fame wasn’t disappointed in her, at least this once.

“Congratulations.” Violet jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder, her head whipping around to find Raja looking down on her, a small smile on the other woman’s lips, her features so recognizable to Violet as she saw them mirrored in Sutan’s face every single day.

“Thank you, Raja.” Violet voice was low as she didn’t want to attract any unwanted attention. “Thank you for trusting me…”

“This has nothing to do with trust, and everything to do with the fact that you were simply better than the others. You did good today.”

Violet could feel her face split into a smile, a real, honest smile, Raja’s praise of her seeming almost unreal, the two women nodding to each other before Raja released Violet’s shoulder and walked away.

 


	16. Chapter 16

Violet flipped through the coats on display at the store, her hand sliding down the material on each one before she flipped to the next. She stopped at a pale pink one and pulled it out.

“What do you think of this one, Raven?” Violet smiled as she presented the jacket to Raven. “You’ll look amazing in it.”

“Of course I will, I look fabulous in everything.” Raven smiled. “But what about something for you?”

“For me?” Violet helped Raven into the jacket. “Isn’t that kind of silly? It gets cold in New York, but it doesn’t get that cold.”

“What are you talking about, why would it be silly?”

“Well… It wouldn’t make sense for me to get a thermo jacket, yes, it snows, but it’s not like I’m going skiing like you guys.”

“…. Sutan, get over here!!”

“What’s the matter, Raven? Ow! What the fuck?” As soon as Sutan had come within distance, Raven had punched his arm so hard Sutan actually had to take a step back.

“Why isn’t Violet going with us to Aspen? I want Violet to go with us! Is this your fault? Don’t you want us to go together?!”

“What are you - Seriously Raven, stop hitting me.” Sutan grabbed Raven’s hands, stopping her from punching at his chest. “What are you talking about? Violet is going with us to Aspen.”

“I’m going?”

“Of course you are.”

“What?”

“Baby, of course you’re going with us.” Sutan was still holding Raven’s hands, stopping the girl from hitting him even as Raven was still stomping her feet, clearly upset. “Raven, go find Raja, I’m not dealing with you right now.”

“But-”

“No, go find Raja and calm down.” Sutan and Violet watched Raven stalk off, both of them thankful for the fact that it was a store expensive enough that the staff left them alone.

“Were you serious about not coming?”

“Well… I, I was never officially invited so I just assumed I wouldn’t be going…”

Sutan took a step towards Violet, gently touching her cheek. “Do you really think I would go away without you?”

“Not when you say it like that…”

Sutan smiled at the embarrassment on Violet’s face. “Violet Chachki, will you go to Aspen with me, my sister and her insane fiancée?”

“I’d love that.” Violet tilted her head up, a smile on her face as she got a kiss from Sutan.

***

“Where in the hell were you?!” Exclaimed Sutan as he and Violet walked back towards the changing rooms after he spotted Raja and Raven sitting on one of the plush couches by the entryway.

“Sorry.” Said Raja who looked up from her phone to address the couple. “I was on a business call so I left the store before coming back here finding her pouting.” She continued, cutting her eyes at Raven who huffed and turned her head, still pouting. “But I hope all is well and the misunderstanding has been cleared up.”

“Yeah, everything is all good now.” Sutan replied, wrapping his arm around Violet’s thin shoulders.

“Do you have anything to say to Sutan and Violet?” Asked Raja as she turned her head slightly to look at her pouting girlfriend, who was sitting with her arms and legs crossed, boring a hole in the wall. She would call her adorable if she wasn’t acting like such a brat. “Raven.”

Just because she was sorry didn’t mean she wanted to say it. “I apologize for my behavior towards you, Sutan, I was out of line. And I apologize for causing a scene at the thought of not being able to have my way.” Said Raven after receiving a sharp tap on her knee from Raja and her phone. “I will be on my best behavior from now on.”

“It’s okay, Raven, you just wanted me to come and not miss out on the trip.” Said Violet softly at Raven’s sour expression. She knew she didn’t mean anything by it, she just wanted her to come too.

“Thank you, Violet.” Raven said with a shy smile, happy that she accepted her apology after her excessive show of emotion.

Sutan was looking at Raven. It wasn’t very often that she took to someone the way she did with Violet. She was so invested in Violet’s inclusion in her, their activities that she raised her hand to him; she hasn’t done that in years. “Raven.” He said loud enough to gain her attention. “Come here.” He said as he watched her get up at his command.

“Yes…ow, my nose!!” Exclaimed Raven as she covered her nose from Sutan’s assault. She couldn’t believe he plucked the tip of her nose. “That wasn’t nice.” She said as she rubbed her nose lightly, pouting again because he plucked her.

“Well, you hitting me wasn’t nice either, especially when I didn’t deserve it.” He replied flatly.

“Duly noted.” Raven replied with a shrug before getting up on her tippy toes to bump foreheads and give him a kiss on the cheek.

“Okay, since the love fest is over, can we get to shopping now?” Asked Raja after watching the display. “I want to have at least a new coat, boots and pants before noon, Sutan.” She said, looking pointedly at her brother.

“Alright ladies.” Said Sutan as he wrapped his other arm around Raven’s shoulders steering her and Violet back out the dressing room area and into the store. “It seems that Empress Raja is ready to spend some money, so let’s show her a good time.” He said with a smile while looking down at the two beautiful women under his arms; life was good.

“Okay, so I was thinking we could go to The North Face store first, just for some like snow pants and ski jackets or whatever.” Started Raven as she and Violet walked out of the store arm-in-arm, as Sutan and Raja brought up the rear with Raja holding onto Sutan since she was on the phone texting.

“But what about the jackets that you saw in the store?” Asked Violet who saw the woman’s arms full of winter gear earlier before her store freak out. “There was a blue one in here that you said you liked?”

“Well, the stuff in there was super cute, but it’s not like I’ll really wear it on a daily basis beyond maybe the super cold days here in NY.” Raven answered easily as if it was the simplest thing ever. “Honestly, I’m looking for something specific and I know that The North Face store has what I’m looking for.” She finished with a smile.

“Oh well, that makes sense.” Violet said easily, returning the model’s bright and infectious smile with her own.

“That, and the sooner we can get winter gear for Aspen, we can start getting stuff for the spring/summer season!”

“You just went shopping for the spring, Raven.” Said Raja as she walked hand-in-hand with her brother.

“Ok…but this is different.” Raven said turning her head to look at Raja. “This time I’m shopping with my Violet.” She finished as she pulled the younger woman in question closer to her. “Don’t you want me to enjoy myself with my little darling?” She asked sweetly, batting her long lashes at her fiancée.

Raja was not fazed by Raven’s flirty tactics. “Don’t try and bat your lashes at me.” She said with a flat tone. “It’s not going to work on me.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, my love.” Raven replied, still batting her lashes.

“Awww, come on Rajie.” Started Sutan as he wrapped an arm around her waist, causing her to roll her eyes. “Don’t you want our girls to have fun?” He asked with a laugh at his sister’s expression.

“Did you forget about the Chanel incident, Sutan?” Asked Raja who ran a jeweled hand through her hair. “Because I can remind you.”

“Come on Raj, it’s just a little light shopping.” Sutan said, running a tattooed hand through her side swept bangs. “What could possibly go wrong.”

***

The door slammed with force, sending a wave of vibration through Betty’s entire body. Trixie was hardly finished talking when she stood up, having tried to keep her cool through the entire meeting, and left the room as fast as possible, refusing to look back or around, straight to her desk where she picked up her bag and coat and then kept walking, not daring to stop, the breath she was holding in hurting her lungs. Another door slammed and she was out of design department and then finally alone in the elevator, punching the aluminum wall with an open palm, letting out a frustrated sound.

The worst thing had finally happened. That little fucking Miss Perfect stole the jacket spot. It didn’t matter that her design bordered on pedestrian; didn’t matter that she dared to suggest to possibly go over budget for realizing it; didn’t matter that she had just started working in the department. They gave her the jacket spot, and that was the most absurd thing ever,

Betty’s hands were shaking as she tried not to think about the shy satisfaction on Violet’s face as the girl found out that the winning design was hers. She was trying not to think about the look of approval she could see on Fame’s face, the same look of approval Betty used to get so often, but not this time. This time, all she got was a whole load of nothing at all.

She grabbed a cab and told the driver the address of her favorite bar. Ten minutes later she was holding a vodka tonic in her hand, already ordering another one, her phone in her bag vibrating.

Of course Shane was calling. Betty stared at his caller ID, an artistic black-and-white photo she snapped once while he was working, full concentration, a pen behind his ear. Then she remembered him helping Violet with the stupid embroidery, Betty’s heart like it’s been dropped down to the floor and stomped on, so she declined the call.

Two minutes later, she declined it again, and then again, until she downed the second vodka tonic and Shane called once more.

“What?”

“Finally, you picked up! Is everything alright? I wanted to go home and - where are you? Did you leave already?”

Betty could sense that he was trying to talk around the touchy subject of the jacket spot. “Why do you care? Aren’t you going out to celebrate with your new best friend Violet?” She felt bad attacking Shane, but she couldn’t stop herself.

“What? What are you - are you serious? So her design won, big fucking deal. No need to be a diva about it, let’s just go home, alright? Where are you? Should I pick you up or something?”

“No.” Betty gestured to the bartender for another drink. “You go home. I’ll see you when I see you.”

“Betty - ”

“Fuck off, Shane.”

She hung up, momentarily regretting what she said, but there was no way back now. She still felt anger that obscured her vision and made her body tremble, the alcohol not doing enough to desensitize it.

The rest of the evening went by in a blur, until Betty found herself in a cab back home, very drunk, angry tears about Violet’s victory and her own failure drying on her cheeks. She climbed the stairs to the apartment, leaning heavily on the railing, and tried to open the door as quietly as she could, hoping that Shane was asleep so that she could just pass out on the living room couch.

She felt her heart in her throat and almost screamed in fear when a lamp by the couch turned on, Betty’s drunk mind taking a few seconds to actually see Shane curled up on the couch in his pyjamas, apparently waiting for her, worry painted all over his face.

“You turned off your phone. I was worried sick.” There was accusation in the tone of his voice.

“I’m so - s - sorry.”

“You could’ve been dead in a back alley somewhere and I wouldn’t know! Do you have any idea how that feels? I understand that you’re feeling shitty, but I could’ve helped, you know? Are you drunk? Of course you’re drunk. Seriously, Betty, sometimes I have no idea what to do with you.”

“Shane?” Betty stood there, not even following Shane’s nervous rambling, shame going through her body in waves.

“Yes?”

“Can you…take me to bed? Please?”

Shane shook his head with a smile full of pity and approached Betty in two big steps, surrounding her with his arms. The warmth of his embrace made Betty crumble completely; she burst into tears, Shane trying to calm her down with quiet words of comfort as the air carried her sobs.

Only one clear thought remained in Betty’s head: she needed Violet to feel like this, too. She needed Violet to lose.

***

Pearl was sitting on the hallway floor of her building, emptying her bag to the floor in search of apartment keys, as Laila was pacing in little circles around her.

“Where did the fucking keys go? I swear I had them here this morning.”

“You weren’t home this morning. You were at my place.”

“Oh! Last night then?”

“Come on, Pearl, just ring the doorbell.” Laila helped Pearl throw all the stuff back into the bag. “Or, you know what, maybe don’t. Maybe we should just go eat out? Or I’ll go, you stay.”

“Babe, what the hell are you talking about?”

“Nothing, I just – I don’t wanna intrude, alright?” In all honesty, Laila was nervous as hell about having dinner with Pearl’s roommates. She had met Katya and Trixie and loved them; they were that kind of people that probably made everyone feel relaxed and welcome in their presence. But there was also Violet, perfect to every tiniest detail, looking down on Laila’s chipped nails, and Max, who was still a complete mystery.

“Stop being silly.” Pearl finally stood up from the floor and rang the doorbell with a defeated sigh, giving Laila a kiss on the neck for good measure. “I can’t believe you’re stressing out, they’re just – they’re my roommates, you know? You’ll be okay. We’re like a family.”

The door in front of them opened and Laila was face to face with a stunning, hand-painted picture of a howling wolf that was decorating someone’s t-shirt.

“Hello, my darlings!” a deep voice spoke with a distinct, British accent.

Laila looked up, and up, and up, until she saw the face of a man, his features sharp, hair fashionably grey.

“Laila! Welcome to our home. You look as beautiful as Pearl said you were! Come on in! I’m Max, Max Malanaphy.”

Laila send Pearl a glare for talking about her behind her back, but Pearl just laughed at her sour expression, not the least bit ashamed. Max bent down to kiss Laila on both cheeks, gushing about how nice it was to meet her. He seemed a bit stiff, but Laila appreciated the enthusiasm. The stiffness was probably just his nationality, weren’t all British people kinda stuck up, with their fancy way of talking and their tea? Laila didn’t stay on guard for long though as Max started talking about his pet, and how Laila had to meet him.

The loft was bathing in soft lights for the evening, candles set up in random places, acoustic rock music playing in the background. Laila wondered who created the atmosphere with such perfection and carefreeness all at once. As they were walking towards the kitchen, Pearl having abandoned her heels by the door, Laila nervously held onto Pearl’s waist.

Katya and Trixie were messing around by the kitchen counter, dressed in matching aprons: Katya’s with a drawing of a male naked body, and Trixie’s with one of a female’s. Katya smiled mischievously at Laila, Pearl and Max as she saw them without Trixie realizing they were there, and before Trixie knew what hit him, she smacked his butt with her hand all covered in flour, leaving behind a perfect print.

“Aahhhh! Katya! I’m going to murder you!” Trixie grabbed her by the dirty hands and pushed her against the counter, proceeding to tickle the breath out of her.

Katya had this kind of laughter that infected everyone around her, so in seconds Max chuckled too, and Pearl was doubling over at the scene as Katya was breathlessly yelling, “You satan, I love you but please, leave me be, ahahaha, the kids are looking!”

“Oh! Hey guys!” Trixie let go of Katya, turning to smile and wave at all of them as his girlfriend tried to catch her breath. “Didn’t notice when you came in! The cookies are in the oven, but, Max, are you sure we made them correctly? They were kind of… lumpy…”

“If you’ve added enough flour we should be fine.” Max raised his eyebrows while Katya and Trixie looked at each other’s hands and faces, all covered in flour.

“Come on, guys, let’s eat already! Where’s the food? Where’s Vivi?” asked Pearl, leading Laila to the dining room table where everybody sat down, Trixie setting down a bowl of salad and cracking open a bottle of white wine. He didn’t prepare a glass for Katya, who was sipping on a glass of water, both of them having quickly washed up, though they hadn’t removed their aprons.

Sick, pregnant or sober? Laila tried to read Katya’s face, but the girl was still a mystery to her, not giving anything away as everyone seemed to find it perfectly normal.

“She’s on her way. She’s bringing Chinese. Or was it Mexican?”

“Pretty sure it was Chinese, Trix”, said Max. “Shouldn’t we wait for her before we start on the salad though?” Max looked at Pearl, who was already serving herself and then Laila.

“Nooooo,” sounded all around the table. Max laughed into his glass and shrugged, as everybody dug into their plates.

“Let’s at least not drink without her! She is getting the food after all.” Another murmur, but with acceptance this time. Laila felt Pearl squeezing her thigh with encouragement underneath the table.

“Is somebody talking about me?” Violet came into the room, wearing a black dress under a white furry cardigan, her hair curled and carefully arranged. “I’m sorry I kept you guys waiting! Hey Laila, I’m so glad you could make it! Trixie, they were out of peanut sauce so I went to a different location, I know, I know, but I’m sure it’ll be just as delicious as always.” Violet smiled coyly, holding up boxes of food in her hands that Max quickly took from her and put on the table. Laila felt the delicious smell of Chinese that wasn’t the cheapest sort, but the good one she liked so much but couldn’t afford most of the time. “I got a little of everything since I wasn’t sure what you liked, Laila, I texted Pearl but you know how it is.”

Violet was greeting everybody around the table, giving Laila a light hug and an air kiss. Laila was still mindful of Violet’s interactions with Pearl, and something stung her in the gut when Pearl’s hand lingered on Violet’s forearm, but she blinked and it was gone.

“Now that we’re all here, let’s make a toast!” said Trixie, pouring a glass of wine for Violet. “Everybody makes one, and you have to give your reason! Go! Katya, honey, you first.”

“To the Lord and all the good things he has given…” she started in a low, serious tone, breaking to laugh. “No, seriously, I’d love to toast to another good week in my life where I wasn’t booted from work, evicted from this beautiful apartment, run over by the subway, gotten mugged or broken up with,” she looked up at Trixie, making puppy eyes at him. “Now you, Max!”

“I want to toast to Laila.”

“Me?” Laila frowned at him and looked around the table, but everybody was just nodding, smiling at her, Pearl holding her hand tighter in her lap.

“Yes, you, the new,  refreshing presence in our house. We’re all very happy you’re joining us and hope that you’re here to stay.”

“Wow, Max, I mean, thank you. That’s so nice. Thanks.”

Pearl cleared her throat. “Well, since Max stole my toast,” Pearl leaned a little bit to Laila’s side, resting her body on her, “I want to toast to good alcohol and that new dive bar on the 6th. And to laser hair removal, which has changed my life for the better.”

“Disgusting as always!”

“Fuck off, Katya!” Pearl stuck her tongue out at the other blonde, Katya making a kissy face. “Babe, it’s your turn.”

Laila raised her glass, thinking about what to say. “To all of you guys. Thanks for having me, I’m really glad to be here.”

“Of course!”

“Feel at home!”

Katya started cheering and clapping, Pearl spontaneously hugged Laila, messing up her hair, and Laila could swear things were going to be alright from now on.

“Violet, your turn now!”

“I’d like to toast to an amazing week at work, to Trixie for letting me play with unconventional materials and ideas, and the fact that I’m doing what I love every single day.” Everybody was nodding with acceptance, so Laila just went with the flow, nodding too, although she had no idea what Violet was talking about.

“Thank you guys for your contributions,” said Trixie, standing up to command attention of the group. “I’d like to toast to us doing the same thing next week, how about that? I don’t see any objections. Oh, and Laila, I have to inform you that it is this household’s tradition to drink our first glass of wine bottoms up as if we’re chugging down a shot.”

“Oh no, not this again,” whined Max much to Pearl’s amusement and Violet’s eye roll, but Trixie wasn’t having it.

“Yes, this again! Tradition is tradition, so bottoms up!”

Everybody picked up their glasses. Laila had no problem chugging down some wine, and neither had Pearl nor Trixie. Violet was a little slow, and Max made the worst sour face she had ever seen. Katya just casually finished her water.

“There! We can eat now!”

Another wine bottle was already going around the table as everybody started picking up containers of food at random. Laila turned to Pearl, trying to get her attention.

“What’s up, hun?”

“Nothing. Thanks for bringing me.”

Pearl grinned, leaning in to give Laila a quick kiss on the lips. “No problem.”

***  
Laila and Pearl were watching a movie; well, that was the official version anyway. In reality, they’d spent half the movie making out, and then eating each other out. Now, Pearl was falling asleep with her head resting on Laila’s thighs, as Laila played with Pearl’s hair, putting it in a loose braid.

“I’m so sleepy, baby,” moaned Pearl quietly. Laila kept caressing her blonde strands.

“It’s okay, Pearlie. You can sleep.”

“I love your thighs, you know?” Pearl laid a small kiss on Laila’s naked skin. She was a little bit tipsy from the wine they had with their dinner. “And you smell so nice.”

Laila smiled to herself. Tonight, she saw how Pearl behaved in what she considered her home. She got a glimpse of everyday Pearl that was missing to create a complete image of the girl she was dating. Laila saw everything and she didn’t feel like running to the hills.

Tonight, Laila felt at ease. She felt happy, and Laila didn’t want to jinx it, but maybe, just maybe, it all made sense. Pearl was falling asleep on her thigh; the girl who Laila could drink with, dance with, fuck with and joke with, and Laila felt her heart finally lining up with her mind.

She imagined Pearl disappearing from her life, and she knew it would feel like losing a part of her soul. Again.

“Goodnight, bitch”, she whispered, but Pearl was already fast asleep.

***

“Are you serious?!”

Trixie had been eating a bowl of chocolate cereal, almost ready to go to work, Katya painting his toes pink as she munched on a piece of toast when Violet burst into their room. Katya almost dropped the nail polish at Violet’s shout of excitement.

“I just got the email, oh Trixie, I can’t believe it!”

Violet jumped onto the bed, grabbing both Katya and Trixie in a tight, tight hug. “You’re shooting the jacket, you’re shooting  _my_  jacket?!” Violet kissed both Trixie and Katya’s heads, the normally stoic girl completely gone. “Thank you, thank you, thank you.”

Trixie had held his chocolate out, only barely saving it, a bright smile on his face at Violet’s happiness. It hadn’t even been him who had made the final decision, Fame picking Violet’s jacket for a feature on the webstore.

“Come to the shoot.”

“Really? Really?”

“Yes, of course! I’ll give you time off tomorrow so you can come join us.”

Violet smiled, placing a sweet kiss on Trixie’s cheek.

“Thank you…”

***  
_ADORE: Can I come over?_

_COURTNEY: Yes. But I’m still at work…:(_

_ADORE: FML_

_COURTNEY: Tell me about it. I should be done in like 45…hopefully. I don’t wanna go out though._

_ADORE: It’s not that kind of night._

_COURTNEY: OK good_

When the elevator doors finally opened on Courtney’s floor, she breathed a quiet sigh of relief, knowing that she’d soon be able take off her confining work clothes and sink into her small, cozy loveseat. She’d forgotten about Adore, who sat in her hallway eating a bag of flaming hot Cheetos, fingers stained an ungodly shade of neon red.

Adore looked up at her, eyes puffy and swollen. “Hey, Court.”

Courtney gave her a hand to help her up and unlocked the door. “Come in, honey.”

“Got any alcohol?” Adore sniffled, as they removed their coats and scarves.

“Ummm…I think you left some Jack Daniels the last time you were here.”

Adore nodded and started rummaging around in Courtney’s mostly bare cabinets, at first finding only flax-seed cookies and coconut chips, then spotting the Jack and grabbing it. She opened the fridge, pulling out a bottle of ginger ale, and poured herself a drink.

Courtney had already kicked off her shoes and traded her dress for an oversized t-shirt when Adore walked back over to the loveseat. Her tiny studio apartment seemed even smaller because of the boxes everywhere. She’d never fully committed to this place, calling it a “temporary pit stop” when she first moved in. Courtney opened up the blanket and Adore crawled in with her, resting a head on her shoulder. She kissed the top of her head, where dark roots were showing. The blue had faded a little, no longer as rich or vibrant as when she first dyed it. “What’s going on?”

Adore sighed. “Not much.” She snuggled into the warmth of Courtney’s neck.

Courtney rubbed her back in slow circles. “She’s an idiot, you know.”

Adore’s breath hitched.

“You are a hundred times better than Laila. Laila wishes she was as cool or as hot as you.”

“I’m sorry for being such a crybaby,” Adore said, as tears slid down her cheeks, getting Courtney’s shoulder wet.

Courtney rested a cheek on top of Adore’s head. “You’re allowed to be sad, honey.”

“I know, but I’m whining to you all the time, and it’s not like you’re having an easy life right now. Is work still awful?” Adore wiped her eyes.

“I mean, yeah, but…I guess I’m lucky to have a job at all. You know, a real job.” Courtney winced, recalling the waitressing job she’d had before starting at Galactica. If Fame thought she was a bad assistant, she should have seen her as a waitress.

“Five years…” Adore said, starting a game they used to play in college.

“You first,” Courtney said, smiling a little.

“Okay, I’m traveling the world with my band and having a steamy affair with the new bass player, a tall redhead who we hired after Justin’s unfortunate accident.”

Courtney laughed. “Poor Justin.”

“I mean I love him but he’s expendable. And girl bass players? Fucking hot,” Adore already felt a little better, imagining this new mystery girl, and the euphoric rush she got onstage. “Your turn now.”

“Um…I have two grammys and I’m starring in a Broadway show. I’m getting tons of movie offers but you know, I don’t want to sell out just yet.”

Adore giggled. “What about your husband? No more billionaire underwear model?”

“Oh, uh, no, he’s still there.” But Courtney didn’t quite have boys on the brain at the moment, at least not the way she used to. She blamed Willam at first, but if she was honest with herself, it wasn’t entirely his fault. He was just the last and final straw, the one who made her question everything she thought she knew about love.

“Have you decided whether he’s more young David Beckham or young Taye Diggs?”

“Maybe a combination? Like…Young Drake?”

“So like a basketball player who gets shot and paralyzed on a Canadian teen soap?”

“Ummmm, maybe more like Young Barack Obama.”

Adore burst out laughing. “You’re so cute.”

Grinning, Courtney pulled her in more tightly. “Will you sleep over tonight?”

“I’m here until you kick me out, bitch.”

“Good.”

***

“A little bit to the left. Okay, perfect. Stay there.”

Betty listened to the photographer directing a girl modeling her dress, the whole experience boring and tiresome. In the corner of her eye, she kept seeing a hanger with all the clothes that were going to be photographed, Violet’s damned jacket as the very last, final piece.

“Max? I’m doing a coffee run, do you need anything?” Violet walked from person to person, a perfect little girl scout, a volunteer, winner of the Nicest Bitch Award 2016, collecting orders. She even approached Betty, giving her smile that must’ve been practiced in front of a mirror for hours. “Do you want coffee, Betty? I’m going to Starbucks.”

Betty had to stifle a laugh as an opportunity presented itself in a perfect light. “You know what, Violet? I’ll go with you and help you carry.”

“That would be very helpful, thank you.”

***

Suddenly, from the back of the room came a loud crash.

Everyone turned around immediately and saw Violet who was trying to get out from under a clothing rack while the table that everyone’s lunch held was now all over the floor.

“What happened here?!” Asked Raja who seemed to appear like an angry black cloud that everyone wanted to avoid. Raja had been feeling very testy lately; she hadn’t had a drink in 2 weeks and her patience was wearing thin much faster because of it. Today someone was going to feel her wrath.

“She tripped!” The pink-haired woman Violet had been walking with smiled sweetly, an angelic expression on her face. “I told her to be careful in those heels.” She extended a hand to Violet who didn’t take it. Raja couldn’t read Violet’s expression at all.

“Awh, now don’t be embarrassed, just because your boyfriend is somewhere around here and you just made a giant fool out of yourself.” Betty said, looking down her nose at the fallen younger woman.

Raja walked over to Violet, quickly attempting to help the smaller woman up. “Violet, are you oka-”

“Ah, ah, don’t, don’t!” Violet grabbed her ankle, the skin already turning blue.

Violet had tears in her eyes and she was clearly in pain but no matter what Raja did, Violet wouldn’t meet her eyes. Her clothes had basically been soaked in coffee; and the clothes that were previously hung on the now fallen rack where covered in sandwich fillings, coffee and juice.

“Sutan! [Come over here, some dumb bitch pushed your girl and now she’s crying]!” Raja yelled. “I am going to have Sutan get you out of here-”

Violet reached out and grabbed Raja’s arm. “Please, Raja.” Her voice was low. “He can’t see me like this! I look horrible.” Pleaded Violet, holding Raja’s wrist in a surprisingly tight grip, earning her a sympathetic smile, but shook her head.

“Clearly, you are as vapid as you are a walking hazard, Betty.” Started Raja as she rose up from the ground where Violet sat cradling her ankle that was already starting to turn colors and swell. “Gia!”

“Yes, Ms. Amrull?” Replied Gia as she came out of nowhere to fulfill the elder woman’s command.

“Go find my brother, several towels and ice. Now.” Said Raja icily as she continued to give Betty an impassive stare as she stood to her full height of a towering 6'4” in heels.

“Yes ma'am.” Said Gia as she ran off to do her bidding not wanting to be in the middle of her boss’s ire.

“So it is clear that I am surrounded by not only idiots  but idiots who cause an unnecessary scene and ruin a rack of clothes because your jealousy was starting to show.” Started Raja who began to circle Betty as deafening silence swept through the entire studio, that was only broken by the taps of her spiked heels and calm demeanor, even though the energy she was giving off was anything but pleasant. “Clearly, we do not know how to behave not only in public but at our place of business. But it’s not my fault, it’s yours, that you don’t know the proper decorum of what is and isn’t appropriate in a civil work environment as a normal functioning human being.” She continued before stopping in front of the magenta-haired woman again. “Tragic.” She finished with a small snarl.

“Raja, you called? [What’s wrong with Violet?”] Asked Sutan as he walked up to his sister but looking down to Violet who looked as if she wanted to sink through the floor.

“Dear brother, so kind of you to join us. It seems that Miss Chachki has suffered a bad fall and she injured her ankle in her fall that was no fault of hers but of Betty’s” Replied Raja as she narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms. “I believe you owe Miss Chachki an apology. Don’t you all think so?” Asked Raja as she addressed the rest of the photoshoot staff all the while not taking her eyes off of Betty, trying to make the other woman regret her actions.

“Yes Ms. Amrull.” They replied in uneasy unison.

“We’re waiting.” Raja growled out while bearing her teeth in a menacing grin. She was going to enjoy this.

“I didn’t do anything wrong…” Started Betty before she was cut off by Sutan.

“So you’re telling me sister, that it was Betty who caused Violet to injure herself, and that she ruined the rack of clothes for this very shoot?” Stated Sutan coldly. Even though he was on the floor trying to help Violet apply ice and some pressure to her hurt ankle, and not addressing her, he still made Betty feel small and insignificant.

“Yes brother, that is exactly what I’m saying.” Answered Raja who looked down to address him sweetly before looking at Betty again. “We are waiting, Miss Acid…and I wait for no one who is beneath me.” She said levelling Betty with a glare.

“Actually, I’m sorry…” Everyone turned to look at Violet who still sitting on the floor, her voice was low, but it was as if she was in control of the entire room. “I’m sure it was an accident as Betty said.” Violet looked up at everyone and smiled even if it was clear that she was biting her lip from the pain. “I’m the one who ruined the clothes, and I apologize. Thank you Ms. Amrull for the concern for my safety. I will make sure it doesn’t happen again.” She said with a shaky smile.

Violet tried to stand once again, her face contorting into a grimace.

Raja was just about to tear Betty apart, but then she saw the look in Violet’s eyes and how desperate she seemed behind her tight smile.

“Well…it seems you were spared by the kindness of Violet’s heart and you still have a position in this company.” Started Raja in a silky yet venomous tone, as she glanced towards Violet who was being carried by Sutan in his arms to help keep unnecessary weight off her hurt ankle. “But this is a warning to everyone here and be sure to pass it on to all of your coworkers; I am not to be tried or tested because there is a reason I earned the title as ‘The Dragon Lady’ within this industry. And though Miss Fame may have hired you all, I oversee every termination…personally.” She said as she turned back to face Betty once again. “If another mishap like this happens again with anyone, especially in my presence and when I clearly saw you, they will not only be without a job at Galactica, but I will take personal pleasure in ensuring that they never work in this industry for the rest of their natural life. Do I make myself clear.” She finished softly but her voice rang loud and clear with a thinly veiled promise of great significance.

“Yes ma'am.” Whispered Betty, who could not raise her head to look at her boss.

“Look at me when you address me, I am not on the floor, I am not against the wall. I am not floating in midair; I am standing right in front of you less than 5 feet away.” Said Raja as she took a step closer to Betty. “I will rephrase the question since you clearly have a mental deficiency; if I hear of another infraction that involves you in any way, Miss Acid, you and I will have a lovely little meeting and I will be the only one who will walk away unbothered and unmoved. Now, was that clear enough for you?” Raja asked again looking Betty square in her eyes.

“Yes, Ms. Amrull, I understand.” Said Betty softly, regretting her actions from minutes before.

“Wonderful. Now, you will get this mess cleaned up, and the cleaning fees for these gowns will come out of your next 3 checks.” Said Raja as she turned to walk away. “I am not so cruel to leave you broke and penniless when you have bills to pay. And to the rest of you, let this serve as your only warning, any misconduct like this that happens again will not be dealt with so kindly. Now back to work, we have several more looks to do and dresses to salvage.” She said while addressing the rest of the room.

“Yes ma'am.” They replied while jumping back to what they were doing before the whole incident.

“Oh…Miss Chachki?” Asked Raja as she looked over her shoulder.

“Yes ma'am?” Questioned Violet softly, wanting the throbbing pain that was radiating from her ankle throughout the lower part of her body to stop.

“I want you to take the rest of the day off to rest your ankle and if it is still hurting you tomorrow morning, I expect to not see you until you can walk around without wincing in pain.” Raja said with a mix of kindness and concern in her eyes towards the young woman in her brother’s arms.

“Thank you ma'am, but that really isn’t necessary, I can continue to stay and work.” Replied Violet with an embarrassed blush.

“No, you will be more of a hindrance than help in this state, go home, elevate and apply ice to your ankle.” Said Raja with an air of finality in her tone. “Sutan, please take her off of my set, she is dismissed for the day.” And with that, the elder Amrull walked away ending the discussion. She needed a drink because these idiots were doing the most and she needed to take the time edge off.

***

Sutan was sitting beside Violet in a small office on the Lower East Side, the man in front of them looking like someone who got his diploma off the internet. Sutan knew he was being overly suspicious, but Violet had refused to go to his doctor, which was something that was still grating on his nerves. He had insisted on coming with her, his stomach still churning when he remembered the sight of her earlier that day, how she had been covered in coffee, tears trying to fight their way out of her eyes, his girlfriend so clearly in pain even when she had pretended not to be.

Violet squished Sutan’s hand pulling him out of his thoughts, her teeth biting into her lips in a desperate attempt not to make any sounds as the doctor was slowly and carefully twisting her foot around, the delicate skin still a dark blue, making it look almost dead against the red of her toenails. Violet had insisted several times that it wasn’t broken, sprained at most and that she just wanted to go home, but Sutan had insisted.

Sutan had called his driver while Violet changed her shoes to the sneakers she always carried in her gym bag, Sutan taking one look at her 5 inch heels before he forbid her to wear them.

The doctor released Violet’s foot, Violet unable to keep in a wince as he placed it on the floor.

“It’s broken.”

“What?” Violet looked at the doctor, disbelief on her face. “No, come on sir, that can’t-”

“It’s broken and I have no idea how you were able to walk in here with a fractured fibula, weren’t you in pain?”

“I was, but that can’t be right”

“Do you have a medical degree, Miss Chachki?”

“No…” Violet was still holding Sutan’s hand, clearly quite distressed over the whole thing

“Well, I do. You have to go to the hospital and get that looked at, I can see in your file that your current hospital is the Saint Luke-Roosevelt hospital center, I’m going to order an x-ray for you-”

The only thing Sutan could focus on was Saint Luke’s; he had heard about that place and how it was looked upon as one of the worst hospitals in Manhattan. One of his closest friends worked as an editor in chief of a magazine and they had done an entire series on the place last year, his friend often entertaining him with all the horrifying things they had found at dinner parties.

“No.”

“Excuse me?” The doctor turned to Sutan, looking at him in disbelief.

“She won’t be going to Saint Luke’s, change her to the Presbyterian and tell them we want a consultation as well.“

“Sir, that’s going to be very expensiv-”

“I don’t care. Thank you for the time, we’ll be leaving now.” Sutan gave the doctor a firm handshake, helping Violet up and out of the office in quick strides, anger slowly starting to simmer in his chest.

***

“Hello, my name is Rebecca Glasscock and I’ll be your primary physician today.” Violet looked at the blonde woman who had just come through the door and who shook both her and Sutan’s hands.

“Your doctor told me you have suffered a break to your fibula, is that correct?” Rebecca smiled and Violet nodded. “Well, let’s take a look then.” The doctor kneeled down and removed Violet’s shoe, the blue of her foot slowly turning into a deep purple. Violet and Sutan hadn’t spoken in the car on the way uptown, Violet ignoring Sutan while Sutan was more than annoyed enough not to mind being ignored. They had already gotten x-rays done, the two sitting side by side in silence while they waited, Violet in the wheelchair the hospital had provided and Sutan in a chair, neither of them breaking their silent truce, but the moment the doctor touched Violet, she reached out and grabbed Sutan’s hand, her fingers intertwining with his as she clung on for dear life.

“Your bone is indeed broken as your own doctor assumed, how did it happen?” Rebecca looked up at Violet who quietly replied that she had fallen over, not willing to go into details about what had gone down. “Your bone feels a little unstable, have you broken anything before?”

Violet nodded. “I’ve had extensive damage to my fifth metatarsal but that hasn’t been a problem for the last five years, a meniscus knee tear when I was 10 and quite a few sprains.”

Both the doctor and Sutan stared at Violet, Rebecca in concern, Sutan in surprise. Sutan didn’t understand half the words he had just heard, but he could see on Violet’s face that she felt uncomfortable.

“So you were a dancer?”

Violet nodded again, not saying anything as Rebecca was now much more thorough, her long fingers pushing and probing, going in with an intensity that wasn’t there before.

“Miss Chachki, I can look at your file but I would prefer if we didn’t keep secrets from one another, the shape of your toes indicates an unhealthy use of heels, the bruises on your shin indicate both kick boxing and maybe Krav Maga? With the underlying tension and bone movement it’s a wonder you’re not more damaged, you must have had a very good physical therapist.”

“The City Ballet only employs the best.”

“So I’ve heard.”

The two women looked into each other’s eyes before they both nodded, Rebecca putting a fuzzy sock on Violet that she took from her desk drawer, instead of attempting to force Violet’s foot down into her sneaker once again.

“I’ll schedule an MRI for you, just to make sure that there is no damage to your talus or any splinting of your bones before we bandage you up. I know it’s getting late, but I’m sure it’ll be for the best, there’ll be refreshments and a waiting room down in radiology and I’m sure my coworkers will do their very best to attend to your needs as soon as possible.”

***

“Are you ever going to explain what just happened?”

Violet and Sutan were sitting in radiology, Violet sipping on a cup of tea that Sutan had gotten her, he himself drinking a cup of coffee.

“Sutan, I’m tired and I’m in pai-”

“Why haven’t you told me before? All that stuff she said, it sounded insane, and the city ballet? You’ve never told me much about your past, but I can’t believe you’ve kept something as important as that from me.”

“It never came up”

“Please tell me how you having done professional ballet would ever come up in a conversation between us organically?”

“We’re talking about it right now, aren’t we?”

Sutan took a deep breath, trying to will himself to come down. He wasn’t going to fight with Violet, not now, and not here. He could see on her face how tired she was, the ashy tone of her skin telling him that all the poking and prodding and the constant movement of her broken limb was draining her. He had tried to get her to eat some kind of dinner, but while he had finished his entire meal, Violet had only taken a few bites of her sandwich before she had given it back to him. No matter how much he didn’t like it at times, he was older than Violet, the fact that she was 23 so heartbreakingly obvious sometimes and he wasn’t going to take advantage of that. Sutan had grown quiet as he was thinking, not even noticing that Violet had reached out before she gently placed her hand on his, her fingers so cold he reached for his jacket, wrapping it around her.

“I’m sorry, it’s just…” Violet looked down at their hands, a heavy sigh leaving her before she continued. “It’s not something I’m… proud of… I… “ Violet looked troubled, as if she was trying to say something, but the words weren’t coming to her, her mouth opening a few times but nothing came out.

“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to”

“I can’t… All of it… but… some.” Violet bit her lip, taking yet another deep breath. “I started dancing when I was 6, and it.. It was a whole new world that opened for me, all I wanted to do was ballet, it was the only thing I cared about, the only thing that mattered, I found… I found something I was good at, for the first time, and it consumed me completely.”

Violets words were coming so fast Sutan almost missed some of them.

“I never told you how I got to New York, but as everything else in my life, it was ballet that took me there… I, I had gotten accepted into summer school at the City Ballet, and at the end of the semester they asked me to stay at the school, and it was like a dream come true, Sutan. I could do what I wanted most, the only thing that was important to me, every day, with people who cared about it as much as I did… For the first time finding people who… Who understood what… Who I was… Who were like me…”

Violet looked so small, so incredibly uncomfortable, but she soldiered on, Sutan feeling like he had accidentally opened a wound, a wound so big it might as well have been her entire being, and he was now watching her bleed, her blood covering both of them as she shared her story in a quick, almost desperate way.

“I followed the classes and did everything they asked of me for two years, and at 15 I was accepted into the corps. I got to go on stage, Sutan, I got to dance and it didn’t matter that I had to ice my feet every night and that it hurt so bad I cried, it didn’t matter that my toes would sometimes break and that I had never been to Times Square, that I had to get up every day before the crack of dawn, that I was so exhausted that I didn’t have any friends beyond the people I spoke to in class, because I was happy… I was the happiest I had ever been because I got to dance, and then… Then…”

Violets words stopped as she was unable to hold her tears in anymore, a broken sound leaving her as she started to cry, her entire body shaking as she cried and cried and cried, only finding the smallest of comforts in Sutan’s arms as he held her, his strong embrace, the scent and the feeling of his fingers curled around her arms the only thing that kept her anchored as she allowed herself to feel the pain she had buried so deep inside herself and done everything she could to forget for 5 years.

***

“Pearl! Thank goodness you’re here.“ Max stood up from the couch to embrace Pearl, giving her a pat on the back, his strong arms holding her in a tight hug. The blonde was wearing party clothes, her red lipstick smeared, her hair smelling slightly of cigarette smoke.

“I came as soon as I could, I’m so sorry, I didn’t hear the phone at first, and I…” Pearl pushed her fingers through her hair, messing up her curls even more, her fingers visibly shaking as all Max had said was that she had to come home now and that Violet was at the hospital. “I was at Laila’s bar, and I promise I didn’t do it on purpose, honestly.”

“It’s okay.” Max smiled slightly before he released Pearl, all four of the roomies now gathered in the apartment.

“So is anybody gonna tell me what the fuck happened to Vivi?” Pearl sat down, her foot tapping away.

Trixie reached over and squeezed Pearl’s knee in encouragement, and to calm her down.

“I heard from someone at work that she tripped and broke a bone… I tried calling her and when she picked up, she sounded okay, but you know how Violet is…”

“Oh god, she’s probably suffering.” Max dumped down on the couch between Pearl and Trixie, Pearl laying her head on Max’s shoulder.

“Wait, where’s Katya?”

“In the kitchen, she’s trying to drown her worries in ice cream. You know I would join her ,but I can’t eat when I’m nervous.” Trixie leaned in, his voice low as he whispered. “She wanted me to give her a Xanax earlier, a Xanax, I mean.” Trixie frowned.

“Did you? Oh my God, Trix, you know you can’t do that. Xanax is basically a drug, she can’t have that!”

“I know, I know, and I didn’t.” Trixie sighed as he fell in too, now leaning against Pearl. “Which is why she’s stress-eating in the kitchen.”

“I’ll go get her,” offered Pearl, disappearing into the kitchen to try to talk to Katya. Max looked at his watch, trying to assess how much longer might Violet’s trip from the hospital take. Trixie had talked to Sutan a few hours ago, so they were supposed to come home soon, but they hadn’t heard anything yet about them being done at the hospital.

Pearl came back from the kitchen, holding Katya firmly around the shoulders, the two girls supporting each other, the Russian’s cheeks wet from tears. She dropped her body to the couch, easily sinking into the embrace of Trixie, who was waiting for her with open arms.

“Uuuurh… My kids at school get injured all the time, and I always keep my cool, I get mugged and I keep my cool, you get sick and throw up at everyone and I keep my cool. But look at me now, why am I like this?”

“Hey, hey, it’s alright, baby. You have every right to worry.” Trixie kissed Katya’s hair, letting the comments about him throwing up slide. “I’m sure Violet will be fine.”

They all sank into silence while they waited, Max thinking to himself that time passed slower than when he was waiting for an exotic animal to appear in the range of his camera.

It was 11:24 PM, Pearl having dozed off on Max’s shoulder when the door opened, the four roommates on their feet and in the hallway in seconds.

Sutan carried Violet into the apartment, her face pale, a cast decorating her leg from foot to knee, the girl in question holding crutches in her hands.

“Vivi!” Pearl was the first one to run forward, Katya only a step behind her, stopping as Sutan gently leveled Violet down onto the floor, helping her stand. “Does it hurt a lot?”

Violet forced a smile. “Not anymore. I’m just very tired.”

“She’s going to be fine.” Sutan held Violet’s shoulder.

“We’re all so happy you’re here and that you’re safe ,Vivi.” Everyone wrapped their arms around her, holding her close.

“Thank you.” Violet said, a real genuine smile as her friends held her.

***

Violet could hear her alarm go off, but she couldn’t fathom having to get up. Her entire body ached, her leg felt hot and swollen and painful. Violet didn’t open her eyes, even after the alarm had silenced, but she could hear some sounds in the background. As she fished around for her phone, her hand accidentally hit Sutan’s face before she found the device, not even realizing that it had actually been Sutan’s phone ringing, the noises she had heard that she couldn’t understand having been Indonesian since Sutan had talked to Raja.

“Ow!”

“Oh no, oh, I’m so sorry!” Violet turned around, coming face to face with Sutan, him pressing sweet kisses against Violet’s skin.

“Calm down, wildcat.”

Violet smiled; she couldn’t remember much of what had happened yesterday after they had gotten home to her apartment. “Thank you for… Well, everything yesterday. It was so sweet of you to take care of m- … Is that a wolf on your shirt?”

Sutan looked down, pulling on the shirt he was wearing. “Seems like it. Max has a peculiar taste in clothing.” Sutan smiled, thankful for the fact that Max would let him borrow one of his shirts for the night.

Suddenly, Violet groaned before she grabbed her pillow and buried her face in it.

“Hey, hey, what happened?” Sutan lifted Violet’s pillow, peeking at her.

“I have to get dressed today… I have to go into work, and I have this stupid thing on.” Violet pointed at her cast, an exhausted look on her face. “I have nothing to wear.”

“Come on, lovely eyes. We both know that’s a lie.” Sutan sat up and walked to Violet’s closet, opening it up and looking inside. “There has to be something in here somewhere.”

***

Shane barged into the cafeteria, immediately zeroing in on Betty, in the corner with her salad and the newest issue of People covering half her face. He didn’t know what he was feeling; it was a strange sensation of being mad, disappointed and sad at the same time. Everybody has been behaving in a weird way around him the entire morning, seeming like they’re afraid on unwilling to talk to him or bother him. One short elevator ride with Trixie and Shane knew everything: it was all Betty’s doing. That, and most of all the crutches resting next to Violet Chachki’s desk.

Suddenly everything made sense, the way Betty seemed to avoid any conversation at all last night, instead opting out for going to bed early and reading a book, but Shane noticed she only turned the page maybe twice for the entire evening. He didn’t want to pressure her then, he knew she would talk sooner or later, when she was ready.

But now, there was no time to wait anymore. He just had to apologize to his boss for something he didn’t even do. He knew Trixie was angry about the entire situation, and he didn’t even start thinking about Violet yet. There was something else that Shane needed to deal with first. He snatched the magazine from Betty’s hand, dropping it onto the table, and then began leading the woman out from the cafeteria.

“But I’m not done with the salad! Shane! What are you doing?”

“I need to talk to you, stat. No witnesses. Get moving. Come on.”

“Alright, alright!” Betty grabbed the People magazine and followed Shane out. “Where are we going?”

“Warehouse.” Shane knew the warehouse like the back of his own hand and he was sure nobody would bother them down there.

Once they found themselves alone among boxes carefully stacked upon each other and meticulously labeled, Betty was already in her defense position with arms crossed, looking up as if throwing Shane a challenge. He had to do it fast, like ripping off a band aid.

“Okay, Betty, spill it.”

“Spill what?”

“No need to act innocent, Trixie already told me everything. You and Violet, yesterday. ‘An accident’.” Shane drew quotation marks in the air, and Betty scoffed.

“Yes! That’s what it was! An accident!”

“Come on, babe. Don’t even try this. Raja saw the entire thing.”

“Oh, did she? And who do you believe, me, the person you’ve spent the last five years of your life with and who serves you cereal in bed every time you’re sick, or Raja, a woman who frowns each time you speak to her, and who always wanted me gone from the company? Who do you believe?”

Betty was not going down without a fight, but Shane knew she was like an angry Chihuahua who needed to bark for a while before settling down and curling up on the floor. So he looked her right into her eyes, resisting the urge to blink, until finally, finally, he saw the air leaving Betty as if she was a pinched balloon.

“But Shane! She took the jacket spot, and I have proof she did it unfairly! She’s sleeping with Raja’s twin brother, do you understand? Sleeping her way to the top! I saw him talking to her and taking care of her!”

“My God, do you think that matters right now? She could’ve been sleeping with Miss Fame herself for all I care! Since when is  _physically hurting people_  okay, ever? Are you gonna push me too if I take something that you consider yours, and yours only? I better stop eating the yogurt in case you try to murder me!”

“But you hate the yogurt anyway!”

Shane wanted to roll his eyes so badly, but he just groaned and covered his face with his hands for a second. “I don’t know if you’re being obtuse on purpose, or… Well, you probably are. You took out your frustration on an innocent person, and you’ve put her on crutches. Do you even realize the gravity of the situation? Trixie told me they had to look for splinters! Her fibula is completely broken! Her fibula, do you understand?!”

“I have no idea what the fuck a fibula is!”

“Well, it’s the bone that - doesn’t matter! She could sue you! You could’ve been fired, Raja wouldn’t blink an eye and Trixie wouldn’t either, but Violet stood up for you! You tried to hurt her, and she still took your side, Betty!”

Betty was stomping around in small circles, arms still crossed, fuming. She opened a random box, picked up a handful of beads, then dropped them back, slamming the lid. When she turned back to Shane, her expression was strangely calm, and that was what really frightened him.

“Are we going to just quietly accept the fact that the presence of this girl around here is a disgrace to the company and a huge injustice to all the other designers?” she asked.

“More importantly, are you ever going to accept the fact that you can’t blame and punish other people for your failures?”

“She’s gonna be fine, Shane. It’s a stupid bone, it will heal. She’s okay.”

“She’s not, and you need to apologize! No, sorry, you need to make it up to her somehow, and I have no idea how. If I were you, I’d offer to do all her chores for at least a year, or possibly her lifetime.”

Betty smiled, shaking her head no, her white teeth gleaming in the low lights of the warehouse. Damn, Shane loved her a lot and was endlessly fascinated by her personality, but she was dark-sided, and there were moments like this one where everything just got out of hand, crumbling in front of him, leaving behind pieces he had to pick up.

“Shane? We need to draw straws to decide who’s sleeping on the couch.”

“Oh, right.” Shane removed a pencil from behind his ear and hid it behind his back. “In which hand am I holding the pencil?”

“The left one”, answered Betty without pausing to think.

“It is the left one, you’re right,” said Shane, disappointed, as Betty grabbed the pencil with a triumphant grin, kissing Shane’s cheek as he stood completely still.

“Enjoy the couch, loser.”

The heels kept clacking until they weren’t anymore and Shane was left completely alone at the warehouse.

***  
  
Betty breathed a huge sigh of relief when she shut the door to Trixie’s office behind her. Yesterday had been bad enough, but this morning was just a disaster, with Shane not talking to her and everybody treating her as enemy number one, walking on eggshells around Violet and her broken fibula, whatever the hell that was.

“Thank God you finally had time to talk, Trixie. Everyone has been acting so insane, can you believe they’re all saying I pushed Violet?” She looked at Trixie, no hint of a smile on his usually pleasant face, but the other way around: he was mad. He was angry, but not in a normal, healthy way; he was in a state of cold fury.

“Sit down, Betty.”

Betty dropped herself on the chair, twisting her icy fingers together. Was that it? Was that her final frontier?

“Trixie, look – ”

“You have a meeting with Fame tomorrow.”

“What?  _I_  have a meeting with Fame? I’ve never even talked to her one on one before, what’s going on?”

“Galactica is suing you.”

Betty’s heart sank. She desperately looked for a way out of this situation, panic settling over her already and clouding her judgement, fear taking over her senses.

“Are you serious? A girl trips and ruins some clothes in my presence and  _I’m_  getting sued? That does not make any sense if you ask me.” She was trying to keep her voice steady, still frightened by Trixie’s ice-cold demeanor, her boss evolving in front of her eyes into someone she didn’t quite know.

“Don’t play a fool, I’m begging you. You know perfectly well all shoots are recorded on security cameras, since everyone steals from sets like crazy. I even covered for you that one time you ‘borrowed’ an evening gown, so I’m asking you for the last time, don’t play dumb with me.”

“Come on! I returned it after the party! Besides, I made that gown, so it belonged to me!”

“You didn’t make it. You designed it, our tailors made it. There’s a huge difference, and don’t try to change the subject!”

“Yes, thank you! The subject is how Violet got the jacket spot even though she went over budget!”

“She didn’t go over budget, she requested it and presented us with several versions of the same product. Are you saying that my judgement isn’t fair, Betty? Have I not always treated you well?”

“You have, Trixie, but – ”

“There’s no ‘but’. I know Raja was ready to fire you yesterday, and that she would have, if it hadn’t been for Violet claiming it was an accident.” Trixie still hasn’t sat down, towering over Betty.

“Yes, but you know Raja! She’s obviously biased against me, so this is no surprise.”

“What the hell are you on about? Raja might not be the warmest person around, but she’s a professional who never lets her personal feelings cloud her judgement when it comes to work, and you know it.”

“Well, Violet is sleeping with her brother, so she’s obviously using him to manipulate Raja!” Betty knew she was grasping at straws, but the dam already broke and desperation was just flooding out of her now. “What other explanation is there for her magically getting a designer job after one and a half year of being an assistant? She was a coffee girl, Trixie! Can’t you see that they’re playing all of us? They’re playing you, too! Fame, Raja and that one power-hungry little Miss Perfect, whose only talent is basically choosing the right dick to suck!”

Trixie went to the door of his office and opened it for Betty. “Out of my office, now,” he said, visibly keeping his anger in check just beneath the surface.

Betty stood up, terrified and broken, all of her defenses having amounted to nothing. So this day did get worse after all, with the only person who Betty imagined was left in her corner taking a full face-heel turn. She stopped in the door, passing Trixie and giving him one last sad look.

“I thought I had you on my side, boss.”

“I’ve been on your side for way too long.”

***

Naomi was walking down the halls at Elite, looking for Sutan. She hadn’t heard from him in two days, and she was starting to get nervous that he was avoiding her. So far operation Daddy hadn’t exactly gone according to plan, but that didn’t mean that she had given up. She simply had to fall back and rethink her plan, like any good strategist would do.

Naomi had almost walked by, but she recognized Sutan standing on one of the terraces out of the corner of her eye.

“Hey.” Sutan turned around to see Naomi walk out of the glass door. The air was crisp and cold, a light dusting of snow covering the wooden floor, but even though Naomi knew she should be cold, all she could feel was the delicious warmth she experienced when Sutan focused his gaze on her, his brown eyes filled with the intensity that always made her knees weak.

“Hey.”

Naomi smiled as she slipped in beside Sutan, the two of them watching the rush of the street, the cars that looked like toys and the people who seemed like ants because they were up so high.

All of a sudden, Naomi felt like she has been struck by lightning as she got an idea.

“Can I have a cigarette too?”

Naomi looked up at Sutan, a sweet smile on her face. She knew Sutan’s girlfriend didn’t smoke, and she knew it annoyed him, so if she started, she would have an advantage over the bitch she had never met, but hated with her entire being.

“No.”

“Awh, why not?”

“I don’t want you to smoke.”

Naomi sighed, annoyed that her plans were once again not going as she wanted them to.

“Well, you smoke, and Raven does too! Why can’t I? How is that fair?”

“You’re 17, Naomi. I’m not giving you a cigarette, and if I ever catch you with one I’m calling your grandma right away. I know it seems unfair right now, but you’re going to thank me one day.”

“Fiiiiiiine.”

Naomi sighed, pretending to be mad for a few moments, but when it didn’t work she dropped the act and went back to watching the city move, enjoying the quiet and intimate moment as they fell into silence. Maybe it was okay that he didn’t want to share a cigarette with her, he was just thinking about her well-being after all, and honestly, how could she complain when Sutan obviously cared about her? Like she cared about him.

Naomi couldn’t help the smile that bloomed on her face.

They were going to be so happy one day.

***

“So here’s a Whopper, the chicken nuggets and large fries, three cookies, oh, and the largest Coke they had. I got it all supersized, so enjoy your meal, my little burger queen.”

“You’re the best, I could kiss you.” Laila took the tray from Pearl, sending her an air kiss. They were in a Burger King, Pearl sitting down across from Laila with her own Whopper and a cup of espresso.

“Please do!”

“Ugh, not here. No PDA tonight.”

“Whatever.” Pearl rolled her eyes, pretending to be insulted, taking a bite of her burger. They were eating peacefully, Pearl stealing Laila’s fries all of the time. Laila’s band was performing later tonight, so she decided to take her girlfriend out to ease the pre-show anxiety.

“So, what are you doing for Thanksgiving?” asked Pearl.

“Not much.”

“What? Really?”

Pearl took like three bites of her burger before dropping it to the tray, clearly deep in thought as Laila ate.

“I think you should come to our place for Thanksgiving.”

“Aren’t you going to see your mom in Chicago?”

“I am, but Katya and Trixie and Max are home… Violet said something about going with her boyfriend since she can’t really fly with a broken leg.” Pearl picked up her coffee. “Think about it. I know they want you there.” Pearl emptied the rest of her drink. “Know what, I’m gonna get some soda for me too, that little bottle of vodka is kinda sad in my purse, she really wants to be mixed with something sweet. Be right back.”

Public drinking undercover was Pearl’s specialty, so Laila didn’t even blink an eye, her gaze following the blonde fondly, watching her lean over the counter and pay for the drink, the fabric of her white jeans hugging her ass in the nicest way. Pearl turned to get back to their table, sending Laila a smile, until she got stopped by some girl, dressed up for a party too, a ginger ponytail swinging on her head. Everything went on very fast from that moment.

“Pearl?”

“Oh, hi – Alice?’‘

The girl dropped the cup of soda she was holding, letting it explode on the floor all over hers and Pearl’s pants, and took a swing to slap Pearl on the right cheek.

’'Ow! That fucking hurts! What’s that for?”

“You promised me you’d call! And now you don’t even remember my name?!”

“Of course I remember! Annie, right?”

The ginger let out a cry, slapping Pearl again, the blonde recoiling in pain. Laila wanted to get up and help her, but she found herself stuck to her chair, mouth agape. Pearl was going to be alright; considering her history, that was probably not first time something like that was happening to her.

“My name is Victoria, you asshole!” Before Pearl could move, the girl slammed her packet of fries against Pearl’s t-shirt, angrily turning on her heel and leaving the restaurant. Pearl just stood there for a moment, covered in Fanta and ketchup, attracting the attention of other Burger King patrons, until Laila burst into uncontrollable laughter that squeeze tears out of her eyes.

“Is that funny to you? You little traitor!” Pearl came back to the table, fishing fries out of her cleavage and dropping them on Laila’s tray with disgust. There was a huge ketchup stain on Pearl’s designer shirt, an angry red mark on her cheek, not even mentioning the miserable state of her white pants. Laila couldn’t stop wheezing.

“ _My name is Victoria!_  Oh my fucking God, Pearl, I wish I had recorded you, you would’ve gone viral! ‘Girl Takes a Hit to The Face in Burger King’!”

“Very fucking hilarious.” Pearl sat down, dripping ketchup on the table, hissing as she touched her hurt cheek. “Fuck, this was one of my favorite shirts, look at that stain! And my white jeans, goddamn.”

“And also your face? Pearl, what about your face?”

“I can ice that, these jeans are dead!”

“I’m so sorry, boo,” managed Laila before she burst into another fit of giggles, Pearl  
crossing her legs and shaking her head in contempt, attacking the ketchup stain with napkin “What did you do to poor Victoria that got you – this?” Laila gestured to the state of Pearl’s clothing.

“I didn’t call her back once? I think? I don’t know, she was some random, supposedly straight model who… You know what, I’m not telling you shit! You’re still laughing at me!”

“I’m sorry, Pearlie.” Laila reached out to touch Pearl’s cheek to make nice with her. “Ugh, you’re a little sticky.”

“This is such a nightmare, Laila. How can I go to your show looking like that?”

“You can have my plaid.” Laila took a shirt she had tied around her waist and gave it to the other girl, who quickly pulled her own top off, not caring that she was half naked in Burger King, her bra nicer than most of the other patrons’ entire outfits. Pearl stood up and walked to the trashcan where she threw out the shirt before she pulled on Laila’s plaid.

Laila felt a weird sense of pride: up until now, it was only her wearing Pearl’s stuff, not the other way around. “See? You look hot.”

“At least it smells nice, like you”, said Pearl. “I almost can’t smell the ketchup anymore.”

“Silver lining”, winked Laila, digging into her chicken nuggets.

***

Shane woke up in the middle of a night by a disturbing dream, and, unable to fall asleep right away, went to the kitchen for a glass of water. His back was already hurting after two nights on the couch, but he wasn’t going to be soft on Betty this time. Was he? He wasn’t. He didn’t know for sure, the couch really was a bitch. Maybe they should figure out some kind of truce.

Pouring water, Shane picked up noises coming from the bedroom, and he knew immediately what was going on. He abandoned the water and jogged to the bedroom, his stomach churning with pain at the sight of Betty, alone in their giant bed, curled up, her body wrecking with sobs. In a second, he knew it wasn’t a ploy to get back into his good graces; something must’ve happened, something bad, and all of their disagreements needed to be put aside for the time being.

“Betty? Baby, what is going on?” He sat down by her side, softly patting her back, moving her hair away to take a look at her face. He felt terrible for the sole reason that she was probably crying here alone for the past few hours while he was peacefully asleep. “Don’t cry anymore, you know you’re gonna make me cry too, and we don’t want that!”

“Can you get me tissues?”

Shane did and waited for her to clean up her face and blow her nose. When Betty started talking, her voice was still trembling. “I’m being sued,” she said and broke into sobs again, looking for cover in Shane’s t-shirt, soaking the fabric immediately.

Okay, that explained all the crying in the world. Trying not to reveal his own fear, Shane made a decision that their fight was over; Betty was already being punished enough and she probably needed him in her corner for now.

“I’m so, so sorry, baby.” He held Betty close, caressing her hair, trying to calm her down. She needed to be on top of her game so they could figure out an emergency plan. Shane already had like three of them forming in his mind. “For the Violet thing?”

“Of course for the Violet thing, stupid. I have a meeting with Fame tomorrow, with the lawyers too, probably. Whose side do you think they’re gonna take? I can say goodbye to the job.”

“But Violet already said it was an accident, do you think she’s gonna change her story now?”

Betty looked up, her eyelashes wet, an image of utter misery. Shane only saw her that broken once, and it was two years ago when her mother died. Then, he hoped to never see her like this again, because it fucking hurt. “Trixie said they got it on tape.”

“Fuck,” whispered Shane, hugging Betty tighter. She was fucked; they both knew she was fucked, but him admitting that would just break her spirits. He couldn’t.

“I’m gonna lose my job. I’m gonna lose my job and it’s gonna be my fault and I’m nobody, no one, without my job.”

“Oh, no no no, Miss Elizabeth. Look at me.” Shane tipped Betty’s chin up, searching for eye contact. “You’re still a kickass designer and the most talented bitch of your generation. You’re also my girlfriend and you make a perfect cuba libre, so there’s that. You can’t give up now.”

“Oh, good to know there’s always a bright career in bartending waiting for me.”

“Come on, this needs to stop. We’re getting up. I’m making coffee.”

“No, no, Shane, please stay.” Betty grabbed Shane’s hand, trying to stop him from leaving the bed, but he made a decision already.

“No. I need you in the kitchen in five so that we can plan out all our options, alright? We have to talk this through, we have to be prepared for anything now.“

“Ugh”, moaned Betty, but started to gather herself to get out of bed. Ten minutes later they were both by the kitchen table, holding their coffee cups, Shane ready with an Excel spreadsheet, some paper and pens. The team meeting was in action.

“So, answer me this first: how attached are you to all your jewelry?”

Betty groaned and hid her face in her arms, still miserable and slightly annoyed, but so happy she had Shane.

 


	17. Chapter 17

Pearl and Laila stumbled into Laila’s apartment, kicking off their shoes and taking off snowy jackets. Pearl’s cheeks were red from the cold, her hair sort of wet from the melting snowflakes and she looked so perfect; Laila wanted to take a picture of her to carry around in her wallet.

“I’m so wasted, fuck.” Pearl leaned against Laila, who was already leaning against the wet coats and they stayed there for a while, trying to catch a breath and deciding what to do. “Urgh, hold on. I need to pee.”

Pearl pushed herself off of Laila, slowly looking around the place to remember where the bathroom was. When she finally located it, went in the correct direction and left Laila alone, the other girl’s eyes fell on the pyramid of dirty dishes in the kitchen sink, a permanent problem of living in an apartment without a dishwasher.

In her drunken state, Laila decided that washing the dishes right now was absolutely necessary.

As she was collecting the plates from her tiny kitchen island to place them in the sink as well, she heard something falling to the wooden floor with a terrible, dull sound that made Laila’s heart stop. She knew cups or cutlery didn’t sound like that when they fell to the floor. She knew what it was and that filled her with dread.

Having carefully put away the dishes, Laila dared to take a look. Pearl’s iPhone was lying on the floor, screen down. Laila could swear she didn’t remember Pearl leaving her phone behind before they went out, especially not on the kitchen island, but with Pearl, nothing could be ruled out.

“Please don’t be broken. Please don’t be cracked. Please don’t be ruined.” Slowly, Laila sat down on the floor, picking up the phone with shaky hands, trying hard to focus her eyes on the object.

The screen was smashed to tiny pieces. Not only that; the camera lens glass was nowhere to be found and one side of the phone had a huge dent.

Holding the ruined phone in her hands, Laila could feel tears collecting in her eyes and then streaming down her cheeks. She couldn’t even imagine how much that fucking phone cost, and it was Pearl’s whole life; the blonde kept losing keys and credit cards, shoes and change, but never her phone.

The alcohol in her veins and the misery caused by her own clumsiness made Laila cry, tears falling from her eyes as she was curled up on the kitchen floor.

That’s how Pearl found her.

“You alright?” she asked, kneeling next to Laila and trying to put a sympathetic hand on her arm, almost hitting her in the face by accident.

“No! I’m so, so sorry, Pearl! I’ll – I’ll give you money for a new one, but I don’t know if I have that much right now! I’m sorry! I’ll make it up to you, I swear, I will!”

Laila was waving the broken phone in front of Pearl until the blonde had to stop her, and take the phone from her hands. She pulled her eyebrows together wonderingly.

“Are you crying because of this stupid phone?”

“I know it’s your work tool, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to break it, I’m terrible!”

“Oh my God, stop it, kid. I’ve got everything saved in my cloud, and I can get a new phone tomorrow. Stop crying!”

“But it’s so fucking expensive, I can pay you back, and I will!”

“No you won’t.” Pearl looked Laila in the eyes. “It’s just a stupid phone, it is not a big deal. It’s not even a deal at all. Stop crying, for fuck’s sake!”

She picked the other girl up from the floor, leading her to bed. They both stumbled three times while walking five meters, but they finally got there.

“Are you sure you’re not mad at me?” Laila was still in her clothes, but she had no strength or will to take them off. Not her clothes, her jewelry, or her makeup.

“I’m sure. It takes much more to get me mad. I’d be getting a new phone next month or so anyway, I wanted to give that one to you. Maybe I’ll just get two now.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, why not?”

“Okay. Sorry.”

“Stop it, come here.” Pearl pulled Laila closer so that their faces were on the same pillow, and kissed her forehead.

Apparently, Laila was now living in a world of people buying themselves new iPhones on a whim. The absurdity of her situation drifted in her head as she was falling asleep.

***

The stream of water was hot against Sutan’s back as he gently ran the washcloth in his hand over Violet’s arm and down her side. Her entire body smelled of lavender and the sweet conditioner Violet had massaged into her own black locks only moments before. Sutan kneeled down, his shower more than big enough with Violet leaning heavily against the back wall. He gently and quickly cleaned her left foot, when he realized that lavender wasn’t the only thing he could smell. Violet wasn’t just wet, she was practically dripping, her inner thighs coated in a light layer of slickness, and Sutan couldn’t help but take a deep breath, the scent of his lover absolutely intoxicating  
Sutan leaned in and placed a kiss on Violet’s upper thigh. A deep satisfied sigh leaving her, before she got control of herself.

“N-no…”

“No?” Sutan looked up at Violet, a confused expression in his eyes, his fingers wrapped around her ankle as he had been just about to dive in.

“I can’t, stand, if you… If you do that…”

Sutan nodded, understanding what Violet was getting at. The cast was covering almost her entire leg, and even if he could have thrown it over his shoulder, it would bring Violet too far off balance. Sutan stood up, ignoring that his own cock was starting to chub up and rise from between his legs.

“I’m sorry.”

Violet shook her head, her arms wrapping around Sutan’s neck, their lips meeting in a sweet kiss that quickly grew steamy, but Violet kept getting distracted, kept looking at something, and then it clicked. She was looking at the showerhead.

Sutan knew Violet had never touched herself, at least not really, her reactions to his fingers in her cunt, the look of utter surprise when he fucked into her g-spot for the first time confirming it, but she came so unashamedly, like someone who knew her own body intimately, and now Sutan knew how.

With one last sweet nip to her bottom lip, he released her, a wicked smile on his face as he stepped behind his lover, the washcloth in his hand making it seem like he was only going to continue cleaning her. Violet feel against Sutan’s chest with a small and breathy sigh, her body utterly relaxed as she allowed him to take her weight, her eyes closed so she didn’t even realize that he had reached up to grab the showerhead, her mind not connecting the dots until she felt the water against her stomach, and her entire body shook.

He gently lowered the stream, getting closer and closer to the space between Violet’s legs, when she grabbed his hand.

“Baby?” Sutan was sure she was going to stop him, to tell him to cut it out, but then she whispered.

“Too hot.” And Sutan was the one who felt a full body shiver. He quickly reached out and adjusted the temperature a little, Violet nodding when he had hit just the right combination.

Sutan was practically humming with excitement as he finally got to push the head between Violet’s legs, her fingers still wrapped around his forearm.

Violet gasped, a wonderful moan leaving her as she tried desperately to move her hips, just a little, but the cast made it impossible. Sutan started rocking the head, his hand cupping it, his other digging into Violet’s hip. Violet was so far gone already, so full of lust and need that it only took a single tug at Sutan’s arm and a few seconds before she came, her nipples achingly hard as she shook apart, a deep moan leaving her.

Sutan had never felt anything so hot in his life. Violet’s utter belief that he would take care of her, the trust she had shown him, the way she had let him into one of the most private parts of her life. Sutan leaned down and placed a kiss on Violet’s neck, the small touch of lips conveying everything he knew Violet was too shy to talk about right now, the answering press of fingers against his wrist a sign that he had guessed right.

“Let’s get you cleaned up, and into something comfortable, so you can get to work. Okay?”

“Mmmh.”

Sutan smiled, his teeth digging into Violet’s flesh, leaving behind a small mark on the pearly white skin of her neck, before he quickly cleaned both of them up, his own erection still denied, but he had learned a long time ago that giving your partner pleasure was sometimes the greatest thing of all.

***

“It was an accident.”

“Violet, we have the whole thing on camera, it’s quite clear that Betty tripped you.”

Patrick was leaning against the edge of Fame’s desk. He was not directly involved in the everyday workings of Galactica, but he was the company’s largest financial backer, and responsible for all legal matters that happened within the company, since it was his law firm that advised them on legal matters.

Fame had come home yesterday, raving and upset and that was the only reason he had accepted the meeting. It was him and Fame sitting across from Violet and Betty, no one else there.

“I know.”

Betty whipped around, looking at Violet with surprise in her eyes.

“But I also know that the cameras were placed wrong for a clean shot, and that it’s not enough for a case closed outside of court. You’ll never get me to say that it was Betty’s fault on record, I’m not going to press charges and that’s final. Betty is one of the best selling designers on staff and a lawsuit against her will give Galactica no other option but to fire her. I refuse to have that burden on my conscience.”

Fame leaned back in her chair, watching both girls with a small smile. Violet had surprised her yet again. “Well then, that’s that.” She smirked at her husband.

The disbelief on Patrick’s face was a sight to behold. “Dearest, as your attorney, I implore you to move forward with criminal charges. If this ever comes out, and it was discovered that we did nothing, YOU will be held responsible. We need to turn this over to the police. Let THEM question Violet and Betty, let them–”

Fame waved her hand. “This is not a police matter, Patrick. This is a family squabble. Right girls?”

Patrick rubbed his eyes tiredly. “I didn’t bring the senior counsel in here at your request, dear. I’m starting to think that was a bad idea.”

Fame laughed. “I’m sorry for thwarting your plans, darling, but this isn’t one of your little boys clubs that needs rules and the law to regulate itself. This is fashion, this is survival of the fittest.” Fame looked at Violet, pride radiating from her. “Something that Violet, unlike anyone else in this room, has understood.”

“But, my love–”

“Betty” Fame continued, “you will continue in design and pay for every ruined item. See this as a compromise, because this is your very, last, chance.”

Betty nodded.

“But if the worker’s comp investigators find out from anyone, including Violet–”

“Violet’s going to be fine. I will cover her medical bills personally. There will be no need to involve the insurance company. Did you prepare the release I asked for?”

Defeated, Patrick handed Fame a manila folder, sighing. “Yes dear.”

“Violet, since my husband is a big worrier, and doesn’t know how entirely trustworthy you are, we’re going to need you to sign this release form stating that Galactica is not responsible for your injuries.”

“Of course, miss.” Violet nodded and picked up a pen, signing quickly.

“Fame, please listen to me. If Betty ever does something like this again–”

“Betty has learned her lesson. Haven’t you, Betty?”

Betty nodded again, saying, “Yes, miss” in a small voice.

“Wonderful.” Fame looked at Betty and then Violet. “You are both dismissed.”

The women got up and left the room. Betty still seemed deeply unsettled, but Violet wore a self-satisfied smile.

“Happy?” Fame asked Patrick, as soon as Betty shakily pulled the door closed behind them.

“Not even close. That woman should have been fired, Fame.”

Fame rolled her eyes. “Come on, Patrick. Who among us hasn’t caused a few ‘accidental’ injuries?” She got up and walked to him, putting her arms around his neck.  
“You know that release won’t hold up in any court, right?”

“Of course, but neither of them know that.” Fame flashed Patrick a knowing smile.

“Darling… you terrify me sometimes.” Patrick leaned in, placing a kiss on Fame’s lips. He had always known his wife was capable of incredible things, had seen her cut her way through the fashion world with the utmost precision, not afraid of anyone, had seen her go above and beyond the duties of a boss when she admitted Katya to rehab, and he loved her the more for it.

Fame smiled, accepting Patrick’s kiss with joy.

In the hallway, Betty trailed behind Violet, watching her hobble on her crutches. When they reached the elevator, she spoke up in a timid voice, the entire event still causing her body to tremble slightly. “Why did you help me?”

“Anything else would be illogical.”

“…What?”

“You don’t make an enemy of the principals, Betty. You watch, you wait, you learn from them, and then, when the moment is right, you end them. For now, you have skills I have no talent for or interest in acquiring. You are a sprinter, I am a marathon runner and if you’re willing, we could make a great team. But if you don’t want to play, remember this…I never forget.”

Betty couldn’t quite believe what she was hearing, looking at Violet’s face, still calm and picture-perfect nice. Turns out Violet did play a long-term game, just as Betty had suspected, but it was a much different, more meticulously crafted game. The way Violet behaved today filled Betty with a newfound appreciation for the girl, not to mention relief and gratutide.

Maybe they could learn to play the game together.

Violet smiled timidly, slowly walking away as Betty followed, holding the door to Design for the girl on crutches.

Shane was by his desk, obviously not doing any work as he was nervously biting an end of a pen, watching Betty and Violet walk in, his eyes turning into question marks.

“So?” he asked, trying and failing to whisper when Betty approached him. “What’s your sentence?”

The world wasn’t ending, the sun was shining again, and Betty didn’t have to prepare herself an outfit for court or sell her vintage jewelry. What could be better than this?

“I live to die another day”, she answered, cracking an honest smile and letting relief wash over her as Shane jumped up from his chair and picked her up, spinning her around as she laughed.

***

“Violet, what are you doing?”

Fame had come into design, wanting to turn in a portfolio with some color tests for Trixie, doing it herself since she had no idea where Courtney was.

“Oh, Miss Fame, I’m, I- I…” Violet tried to stand up, but her leg couldn’t support her. The brunette was the only one who was left in design, the only light that was on was the small lamp at Violet desk.

“Oh god, no! Sit down!” Fame run to aid Violet and help her to sit down in her chair. Her gaze fell upon the sketches Violet had on her desk, the lines instantly catching her eye.

“What’s this?”

“It’s just… Umh…” Fame could sense that Violet was basically shaking apart with nervousness, and Fame could barely recognize the girl who had stood up to her earlier the same day. She knew Violet was nervous around her but she had no idea it was this bad when she was unprepared.

“It’s kinda.. It’s.. Sketches… I’m trying to figure out if I can… Make, anything while I’m… Like this… I don’t really…”

Fame nodded and sat down, flipping through the pages of drawings. “These are good.”

“Thank you… I think I can maybe… Stone these while I’m like this…” Violet pointed to a corset design. “But I, I’m kinda… Tired…”

Fame nodded, it was clear to her that Violet was tired. Her skin was deadly pale and she was sweating a little, the pain of her injury sucking all of her energy.

“Well, your leg is broken.”

“I know, but…”

“No buts Violet.” Fame stood up. “Where are you sleeping tonight?”

Violet blushed all the way to her ears. She knew Fame knew her and Sutan were sleeping together, but it still felt embarrassing.

“In the apartment…”

Fame nodded. “Good. I’m taking you home.” Fame sent a text to Courtney. Telling her that she was leaving in 10 and that she wanted everything ready.

“What? Really?”

“Would I offer if I didn’t mean it?”

Violet shook her head, avoiding eye contact, but Fame could feel how her shoulders had fallen, and how much more relaxed she was compared to how she was only moments before.

“No Miss, I’m sorry.”

“Let me help you pack up for today.”

“Yes Miss, thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

***  
Trixie was looking out on design. He had bought cakes for the department, and even though very few were eating it he didn’t care. Any good workplace had a cake day, and if it had to be raw vegan and gluten-free, well, that would be on the menu next week.

Trixie looked over at Shane who was helping Manila measure a new pair of shoes, Alexis who was hanging out with April and Gia, all of them having big cups of coffee and tiny plates of the cake. There were still quite a few girls and men who were missing, but the only ones Trixie worried about were his top talent. Betty and Violet.

The two girls had been reclusive and quiet ever since the meeting in Fame’s office. Betty had started to come out of her shell again, greatly helped by Shane who everyone couldn’t help but love. Violet however had clammed up, shutting up and shutting down completely and it worried Trixie, but he didn’t know what to about it. No matter what he did, Violet refused to stay home completely, insisting that she had to carry her own weight. Violet had even met a design deadline, her entry in the round a pantsuit in black velvet that hadn’t been chosen. Violet had already thrown in an e-mail, asking for a space in the Christmas presentations that would happen right after Thanksgiving, which was in a few days, and Trixie couldn’t help but worry.

***

“Hey, Fame?”

“Yes?” Fame looked up from her work to see Pearl standing in the doorway, a strand of blonde hair tightly wrapped around her finger, looking nervous as hell.

“Can I come in? Please”

“Of course, pet, just close the door behind you”

Pearl nodded and did as she had been told, while Fame quickly clicked into her calendar on her iMac to check if she had an appointment with Pearl that she had forgotten about. Fame hadn’t called the blonde to her office, and Pearl hadn’t requested a meeting, so it had to be something of a more personal nature.

“What do you want, sweetheart?”

“I have to tell you something…” Fame watched as Pearl sat down on the edge of her desk, the movement and the position so familiar to Fame. The two women had spent many hours seated like this, her beautiful Pearl, she and her prized pet talking, Fame guiding Pearl and Pearl releasing stress for Fame sometimes as well, kneeling between her legs.

“Is this about your little girlfriend?” Fame placed a hand on Pearl’s knee, the look of utter surprise on the blonde’s face making her smile. Pearl was always so utterly adorable whenever she thought she could keep secrets from Fame.

“Who told you that?”

“I know everything.”

“Fame, be serious. Please.”

Fame smiled, Pearl never failing to entertain her. “I’m sorry, my little clam. I spoke to Max after your phone call about the restaurant, I mean, I had to know what you were up to.” Fame squeezed Pearl’s knee. “I can’t have you out there making trouble.”

“Damn…”

“So is it?”

“Is what?”

“Is it about her?”

Pearl nodded, her perfect white teeth biting into her ruby red lip. “I think… I think I want to try monogamy… I want to try that with her…”

“Really?” Fame couldn’t keep the look of surprise off her face. Pearl had been with countless women, some more serious than others, but she had never asked for the game they played together to stop before.

“Yes… I asked for her to be my girlfriend a while ago, and she said yes, and… She makes me happy, Fame, like, really really happy.” Pearl smiled, and Fame could feel her heart swell with joy for her darling favorite.

“When can I meet her?”

“She’s kinda shy, but soon, I promise!” Pearl laughed and tucked a bit of her hair behind her ear. “Maybe I’ll bring her to the Christmas party.”

“So I’m not going to meet her before then? What about Thanksgiving?”

“You haven’t even invited me to anything, and I’m going to Chicago anyway.”

“Lies. You know Patrick and I go to the farm every year. If you read your personal snail mail you would know that I have invited all of you up there for a short stay, but Katya and Max where the only ones to ever respond, you ungrateful children.”

“Old people are the only ones who use regular mail anymore anyway…”

“Watch your mouth. Though I do suppose Violet is excused with her leg and everything. Raja told me she’s spending the holiday with them since she can’t fly out to be with her own family.”

Fame smiled, her hand still resting on Pearl’s knee, the two girls not breaking their physical contact.

“Fame?”

“Yes, sweetheart?”

“I’m sorry…”

“Why are you apologizing?” Fame looked at Pearl, her brows furrowing a little.

“Because we’re not, you know, going to have sex anymore.”

“Oh, Pearlie.” Fame smiled and pulled Pearl down by the hair, placing a sweet kiss of the blonde’s forehead. “You’ll always be my pet, sex or not. You’re my little girl, and I’ll always take care of you.”

Pearl smiled, gratefulness radiating from her.

“Thank you, Miss.”

“You’re welcome, my darling.”

***

“Ready to go?”

Max was waiting for Katya in front of her school building by her small, beat-up car, watching the sun set behind the buildings. The girl approached him and patted him on the shoulder.

“Of course! Ready to go wherever you take me.”

They both got in the car, Katya in the driver’s seat, Max next to her, having to lean forward a little due to a very low hood of the vehicle, but that was his usual problem, nothing to complain about.

“Thanks again for coming over today and speaking about your job to my kids. They really need some positive influences in their lives, you know? Some of them have the shittiest families, Max, you wouldn’t believe. I sleep better knowing that they know there are great things in the world to achieve.”

“You’re the most kind-hearted person I’ve ever met in my life, Katya, darling.” He leaned in through the gear box to kiss her on the cheek. She giggled, eyes still on the road.

“Come on, stop it. I’m just repaying for all the good things that happened to me, you know? And these kids – they’re really worth it. If at least two of them grow up to be decent adults then my job will be completed.”

They made their way through the streets of New York, trying to write a mental list of things they needed to buy, until Katya parked her car in front of a Target.

“Slam the door on your way out, Maxie!”

“What? Slam?” Max got out of the car, sure that the poor vehicle will fall apart completely if he slams the door, but Katya was next to him already, slamming with no mercy.

“There. That’s the only way they can be locked. Now, please remember we need to buy the turkey because I’m sure I’ll forget.”

“Pretty funny how often we forget the most important things, isn’t it?”

“Funny and disastrous, you can’t have Thanksgiving without a turkey!”

They rolled their cart straight to the turkey aisle, Katya picking out the biggest bird immediately.

“Look at this one!  _Hi, my name is Ronald!_ ” Katya mimicked a strange voice, covering her face with the turkey. “ _Why did the turkey cross the road? It was the chicken’s day off!_ ” She laughed breathlessly at her own joke, putting the bird in a cart.

“Are you sure we need a turkey this big for the three of us?”

“Oh, we’ve also invited Laila. I hope you’re okay with that? Pearl said her family is shitty, so she’d be spending Thanksgiving alone otherwise.”

“Of course that’s okay!” Max enjoyed the company of Pearl’s new girlfriend. He found her kind of shy and not pretentious at all, and that was exactly who Pearl needed to end up with. “If there’s four of us, I think this turkey will be perfect.”

“Cool! Let’s get the other things now! By the way, don’t you think it’s funny?”

“What is, Katya?”

“The fact that Trixie is half Native American, I’m Russian, you’re British, and we’re celebrating Thanksgiving together. Thanksgiving, the most American holiday there is.”

“Well, there’s also Fourth of July… But yeah, you’re right. That’s funny. Do you think Laila would let me take some pictures of her? I want her to feel like family.”

“Sure! Alright, do you remember what else we needed to buy? Because I think I want ice cream. Let’s go get ice cream.”

Katya was jumping up and down. Trixie told Max that shopping trips always made Katya strangely excited, so he was prepared for that.

“Let’s go get the vegetables first, and then we get ice cream. Deal?”

“Deal!”

***

Bianca had been cooking for two days, slaving away in the kitchen to make a delicious meal that would please both her carb and butter-loving sister and their beautiful Australian guest, who was newly vegan to “restore some balance” in her life. “Vegan Thanksgiving” was a new one for Bianca, and especially doing it in a way where things didn’t taste…healthy. The cornbread was the biggest challenge, but after 3 tries, she finally got the texture right. She made turkey, of course, but also had tofurkey for Courtney, and everything else on the table, down to the mushroom gravy, was vegan.

Adore was annoyed at first, whining that “Courtney’s only been a vegan for five minutes, why should that ruin the whole dinner,” but quickly decided that everything was still delicious and began inhaling her food. “How can vegan butter taste this fucking good?” she wondered, mouth full.

“Because,” said Bianca, “Vegan butter is margarine. And you are trash. So…you love margarine.”

Adore gave her a dirty look and but didn’t stop shoveling food into her mouth.

“What do you think, Court?” Bianca asked, watching the blonde push food around her plate.

“Oh, yeah, it’s…it’s really good.” Courtney took a tiny bite of the green bean casserole.

“Okay, I know why Adore is eating for a family of 4.” Adore held up her middle finger as she took another giant bite of food. “Why are you not eating?”

Courtney took a deep breath. “I’m just a little…I guess I’m just not very hungry today. I’m sorry.”

Bianca set down her silverware and took one of Courtney’s hands in hers. “Courtney. You live in America now. And you know what Thanksgiving is all about?”

“Gratitude?” Courtney asked, eyes slightly watery.

“No, baby. No. It’s about coming together, and, whether you are hungry or not, eating until you can’t possibly take another bite. And then having dessert.”

Courtney laughed, finally. “I guess I’m not fully assimilated.”

“And gratitude.”

Courtney looked at both Bianca and Adore. “Well…I’m very thankful for the two of you,” she started softly, “And…and…”

Bianca squeezed her hand. “And?”

“I’m usually a very grateful person,” Courtney whispered, a tear falling down her cheek.

Bianca brushed it away and gave her a hug.

“It’s just…the last few months have been…I’m…”

“It’s okay. It’s okay,” Bianca clucked. “But if you don’t eat those potatoes, I’m seriously gonna regret not using real butter,” she finished with a wink.

Courtney laughed again and pulled herself together. “Okay. Sorry. I’ll be a better American. I swear.”

“Just follow Adore’s lead. She’s American as apple pie.”

“Apple pie! You better have made apple pie,” Adore exclaimed, mouth still full.

“Yes, baby, so slow down.”

Adore clapped and dug back in. “Man. I really do love margarine.”

“Trash,” Bianca coughed, getting hit in the face by a dinner roll, and the look of surprise on her face finally caused Courtney to smile for the first time that day.

She and Adore began to giggle mischievously.

“Okay, assholes, ha ha. Adore, I dare you to eat as many green things as Courtney does. Court, I dare you to let Adore butter your cornbread. With that delicious vegan margarine.”

Adore put her hands on her hips. “You are so goddamn bossy!”

Courtney rolled her eyes. “Well, it is her house, Adore. And she did all the work. And you don’t even have a job.”

Bianca guffawed.

Adore feigned offense. “Jesus, Courtney, harsh! And why are you taking her side? You’re supposed to be my friend.”

“Well,” said Courtney, holding out a piece of cornbread to her, “Unlike you, I don’t bite the hand that feeds me.” She looked back at Bianca and grinned, fluttering her eyelashes slightly.

Bianca’s dimples flashed back at her.

“Ugh,” said Adore. “Get a room.”

Bianca’s head snapped up and she glared at Adore. “Grow up, you little brat.”

“Make me,” said Adore in a childish voice.

Courtney laughed again, the sound pure and lovely and Bianca hated Adore for seeing through her. She shook her head and took a sip of wine. Jesus Fucking Christ. Happy Thanksgiving.

***

“Well,” Courtney said, carrying the last few dishes in from the dining room, “I think she’ll be out for a while.”

Bianca slid a tray covered with tin foil into the fridge and gestured to the dishwasher, which she’d just begun loading. “I bet this is what a parent feels when their toddler finally goes down for a nap.”

Courtney laughed and started to rinse the dishes in the sink, then carefully loaded them into the dishwasher. “I know what you mean. And also…I think even though she’s trying to act tough, this breakup is really tearing her up. I wish there was more I could do, but…” Courtney sighed.

Bianca came up behind her at the sink, putting a hand on the small of her back and reaching over her to get a few pieces of tupperware from the drainboard. “You’ve been an amazing friend. Certainly a better friend than I’ve ever been.”

Courtney turned, her skin tingling from where Bianca touched her, and looked the older girl in the eyes. “I doubt that,” she said. Why did being around Bianca always make her so nervous? What was it about those eyes, those hands…that made her feel so strange inside? “You seem like all you do is take care of other people,” she said softly. Her stomach flipped as she brushed her fingers against Bianca’s shoulder.

After a few heated seconds, Bianca stepped back and cleared her throat. “I mean…you’ve only seen one side of me. I am pretty much an asshole to everyone else.”

Courtney smirked. “Yeah, so I’ve been told.”

Bianca’s brows shot up in surprise. “You’ve been…who said…” Bianca didn’t know why, but knowing that people were telling Courtney things about her made her violently uncomfortable.

Courtney leaned against the counter, watching Bianca squirm and loving the rush of power it gave her. “I’m not gonna reveal my sources!” Her green eyes sparkled.

Bianca cursed to herself. Normally her attitude was very “I don’t give a fuck what you think of me, and if I need something from you, I’ll make it worth your while. Otherwise take several seats…” and normally she was perfectly content putting that energy into the world. And now here was this woman, this GIRL, making her wish she was more open, more loving, just…BETTER. This girl who even three months ago would have been a disposable trick. But somehow…she was getting to her in the worst way. “Well, I’d ask around about you, but no one knows who the fuck you are, so…”

Courtney laughed. “That’s true. I’m shamefully irrelevant in this city. Just another small-town kid trying to make it in the Big Apple.”

“Teasing you is no fun. You always agree.” Bianca’s voice was low and husky and she couldn’t stop a smile from pulling on the corners of her mouth.

“Sorry, I’ll try to be less agreeable,” Courtney twinkled, licking her lips.

“Good idea,” she proclaimed, trying to stop her heart from beating so loudly. Maybe she was imagining things, but it felt almost like…was Courtney flirting with her? Was it just that pretty straight girl thing where she flirted with everyone? Or did it mean something more?

Courtney took a deep breath. Her heart kept fluttering and her stomach twisted every time her eyes met Bianca’s. She tried to remember what she was doing. Dishes? She glanced at the sink, the ache in her chest blooming until she was trembling. She looked back at Bianca with soft eyes.

Bianca, trying to defuse the tension, said, “Thanks for helping, but why don’t you go relax now?” She put a stack of serving dishes, now empty, next to the sink.

“Oh, um, but you did all the cooking, and I–”

“You don’t work for me. You’re a guest here. Go chill out. Watch the parade or something.” Bianca took the sponge from her, letting their hands touch briefly under the hot water.

Courtney shivered. “Okay,” she said softly, “Thanks. For…you know…um…” Why was she finding it so hard to breathe? “Please let me know if there’s anything else I can–”

“Sure,” Bianca said abruptly.

Suddenly it was all too much. The lingering glances, the brief touches, the heated silence.  _Kiss me_ , Courtney found herself wishing, searching Bianca’s eyes for a sign…any sign, that she felt the same way.  _Kiss me, kiss me, kiss me…_

Bianca leaned in and brushed a lock of hair from her eyes, knowing that she was about to fuck everything up, but unable to stop herself, unable to tear her eyes from Courtney’s. There was momentum drawing them towards each other, and she suddenly had hands on her waist, pulling her in.

Courtney whimpered and closed the distance between them, hands tangling in Bianca’s perfect, shining hair. Now pressed together, that ache growing, spreading through her whole body, Bianca ran a thumb over her lips, her plush mouth hovering over Courtney’s. She could pull away, if she wanted…but she didn’t want to.

“This is probably…not going to end well,” Bianca said.

Courtney nodded slowly.

Bianca stroked her cheeks. “I told you to stop agreeing,” she whispered.

“Okay…I’m sorry,” Courtney’s eyes were focused on her lips.

“Fuck,” said Bianca softly, finally leaning in all the way, pressing her against the sink, letting their lips touch.

Courtney thought she was going to faint. Somehow, she’d expected the kiss to be like Bianca - aggressive and strong and maybe a little bit scary. But it was the softest, sweetest kiss she’d ever had. She melted into Bianca’s arms, fire racing through her veins. Every nerve was exposed.

This was bad. Bianca should know better than this. Her baby sister’s straight BFF? God. She really was the fucking worst. And then Courtney’s leg wrapped around her waist and she opened her mouth and all Bianca could do was kiss her more, deeper, hold her fragile body closer.

“What in the actual fuck is going on in here?” came Adore’s sleepy voice from the doorway, breaking the spell, causing Courtney’s entire body to tense up.

She pulled her head from Bianca’s and clapped a hand over her mouth. Oh, God, what was she  _doing?_

Bianca tried to soothe her, whispering, “Hey, it’s okay, don’t–”

But she was already fleeing, already out the door, her purse and coat in her arms, tears filling her eyes.

“Court, what’s wrong? I’m sorry! I was just kidding, Courtney, don’t go, there’s–” Adore began to call after her. And then the front door slammed. “…pie.” Adore finished in a small voice. She looked at her sister, who for once looked startled and lost instead of angry. “I’m sorry.”

Bianca sighed and held her head in her hands. “FUCK!” she moaned.

***

“Vioolet, wake up.”

Violet felt someone touch her, her eyes so heavy she could barely open them. Her leg was warm and achy, her stomach filled with the Indonesian style Thanksgiving feast they had all enjoyed, her entire body feeling near weightless, as if she couldn’t move. She was sitting in a soft chair, her temple resting against the soft fabric, her nose filled with the scent of lemongrass and cardamom when she heard the voice again.

“Hey kekashi, you awake?”

“Mmh…” Violet opened her eyes, the face of Maharani, Sutan’s mom, showing up. Violet felt a warm and dry hand against her chin, a lock of hair getting moved behind her ear.

“Don’t woory, I save some cake for you, okay? Don’t woory, just sleep.”

Violet nodded, her eyes falling shut again as Maharani placed an extra blanket on top of her, tucking her in and letting her return to dreamland.

***  
Fingers wrapped around his flesh, her thumb going over the head as they kissed.

Violet’s cast had been bothering her more than usual that day. They had just gotten home from Long Island, both of them falling into bed the moment they got back.

It had been such a good day, Sutan’s family a joy to be around, but the pain of her leg and the struggle of walking made Violet feel clumsy and heavy, tired and, well… frankly, unattractive. Violet knew Sutan hadn’t meant to, that it was only because they had kissed goodnight, but she had still felt his hard cock against her hip, and she hadn’t wanted to deny him, even if he didn’t ask or demand.

Violet felt a soft moan against her lips, and she couldn’t help but smile. Sutan was laying on his back, Violet popped up on her elbow, her other hand slowly but surely pleasuring her partner.

“I’m really sorry that I can’t… or that we won’t… do more…” Violet looked at Sutan, his eyes closed with pleasure as she tightened her grip, just a little. She had no reason to feel insecure. Sutan had reassured her again and again that it was perfectly fine, that he just wanted to be close to her and that was what mattered to him but she couldn’t help but feel bad, like she wasn’t doing enough.

Sutan opened his eyes, and Violet couldn’t help but gasp at the look he was giving her, his pupils blown with arousal. “Do you want to?”

“Want what?”

Violet felt Sutan’s hand in her hair, guiding her down into yet another kiss, his fingers releasing hers from his cock as he took over himself as he tried to calm himself down, his strokes slow and lightly teasing, and Violet couldn’t help the hot rush of arousal that went through her as she got to watch. She knew it was silly, but whenever Sutan took charge, whenever he was so unapologetically comfortable in his own skin and sexuality, she could feel herself get embarrassingly wet.

“Do you want me to teach you how to give head?” Sutan smiled, a smug little one that was barely there.

Violet was sure she blacked out for a second, a broken moan leaving her at the thought, Sutan’s hand in her hair grounding her and anchoring her in the best possible way as she nodded desperately.

Sutan guided Violet to the edge of the bed, grabbing the chair he had put in the bedroom to help her get dressed, and placed her leg on it, making sure that the sore and aching part of her body was kept well out of the way. Violet giggled at the picture he made as he had taken his pants off, his hard cock bouncing about while he was still wearing a shirt. Violet knew she shouldn’t find it comical, but the fact that she was sitting on the bed in only her jeans, her upper body bare meant she couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity of the situation, the two of them together making one fully clothed human.

“Hey!” Sutan smiled at Violet’s laugh, knowing he looked utterly ridiculous but he didn’t care. “My eyes are up here.” Sutan moved in between Violet’s legs, gripping her chin and pulling it upwards so she looked at his face. “Now, are you going to behave, or do I need to spank you?”

Violet gasped. She could still vividly remember how good it had felt when Sutan had pushed her down, how he had used her and abused her after Halloween, and if she has thought of it in the shower once or twice, the shower head keeping her company while she was too shy to ask for more, well, that was no one’s business but her own.

“I-I am… I…” Violet let out a breath of relief as Sutan silenced her as he gently pushed his thumb into her mouth. Sutan watched her face as he gently slid his thumb in and out of her mouth, watching how she got lost in the rhythm.

“So you’ve got the basic mostly right, I felt that the last time.”

Violet blushed, her face going completely red, the calm from before disappearing quickly as she tried to pull away.

“Hey hey hey, sweetheart, no, no, no, you did a really good job.”

Violet nodded slightly. She remembered back to October, to the Galactica party where she had tried sucking Sutan off for the first time and how she had choked on it and given up. She felt embarrassed each time she thought of it, like she had failed him, like she wasn’t good enough so she hadn’t offered it since, but now that Sutan had suggested it? Just in that moment, Sutan pulled her out of her thoughts by gently removing his thumb from her mouth.

“Stop thinking. I’m the one in control now, not you, okay?”

Violet felt a violent and delicious shiver go through her before she nodded, her lips tingling after the loss of Sutan’s hand.

“Good girl, now open your mouth.”

Violet did as Sutan said, letting her mouth fall open, curling her lips around her teeth as she had done just moments before, careful not to hurt him. She felt Sutan’s hand in her hair again, using his grip on it to guide her forward, gently pushing the tip of his cock into her mouth. Violet knew this part, knew how to do that at least. She tried to lean forward, tried to take more of him into her mouth, but she felt a hard pull, Sutan’s hand in her hair holding her back.

“No.”

Violet felt a yet another shiver run through her entire body at the pain of her hair getting pulled, the pain exquisite as it melted with her pleasure, the intimacy she felt with her boyfriend. She cursed the cast on her leg to hell once again, hating her broken ankle and the fact that she was soaking went inside the jeans, that she couldn’t get thrown down on the bed and fucked like she wanted to be, her hand inching between her legs, her palm pressing down on her herself.

“Violet, stop thinking. I’m the one in charge, not you.”

Violet instantly stopped moving, her hand falling limp to the bed. She tried to nod, tried to show Sutan that she wanted to do as he was saying, but she was kept in place by his hand and his cock so she did the only thing she could, which was look up.

Sutan moaned, a deep feral sound as their eyes met. “Fuck, that’s so hot, you’re so fucking hot, baby.”

Sutan held Violet’s head still as his hips started to thrust ever so slowly back and forth, careful of Violet’s comfort, his rhythm slowly speeding up.

“You’re doing so well, I’m so proud of you.”

Violet felt herself slip away, her entire body humming with pleasure and the unexpected calm that filled her mind. Her eyes were falling shut as Sutan guided her back and forth, Violet getting utterly lost in letting her lover control her, letting Sutan decide everything.

All of a sudden Sutan pulled out and Violet whined, a desperate sound leaving her. When she opened her eyes she saw Sutan panting, his hand covering his cock as he had just emptied into a tissue. When Sutan noticed, he smiled, still slightly short of breath.

“Hey baby. Seems like I lost you there for a second.”’

Violet nodded, a confused expression on her face; she tried to open her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. She couldn’t speak at all but for once it didn’t fill her with panic, not like it used to.

This. What has just happened, all of it, it was… This was… nice, and when Sutan placed his hand on her cheek, letting her nuzzle into it, his lips against her forehead as he kissed her, she felt completely at peace.

***

“I swear I’m never getting pregnant ever again,“ groaned Jujubee as she eased down into her seat, her belly making it hard for her to see her feet, and causing her to break out in a light sweat. “This is some bullshit.” She grumbled as she tried to pull herself closer to the table only to realize that her belly was making it near impossible. “Who signs up for this?!” she whined as she watched Raven struggle not to laugh.

“But you look so adorable though!” Raven finally said after she composed herself. “You look so beautiful…” she tried to say before she burst into laughter at Jujubee’s petulant expression.

“This isn’t funny, Raven! I can’t see my feet, my ankles are swollen, I’ve had morning sickness everyday for the past month and none of my clothes fit! And I’m not even that far along!” She cried pitifully. “And do you know what the worst part about it is?” Jujubee asked with watery eyes as Raven finished placing their order for lunch at a small hipster cafe they frequented.

“What is it?” asked Raven struggling to take her pregnant, but dramatic, friend seriously. “Because it can’t be the fact you can’t see your feet since you’re wearing high heels.”

“You know I’m trying to be serious but you’re not taking me seriously!” Jujubee said as she started to tear up again. “I’m trying to be serious and tell you what’s wrong and you’re laughing at my pain,” she wailed.

“Ok Juju, I’m sorry for not taking you seriously.” Raven started, taking Jujubee’s jeweled hand in her own. “What’s the worst part?”

“The smell of fried chicken makes me want to throw up.” The smaller woman said sadly, bowing her head. “This is worse than not being able to have a glass of wine with dinner.”

“The tragedy,” Raven murmured while closing her eyes because she knew if she looked at her friend, she was going to crack up laughing.

“You don’t know how agonizing it is.”

“Oh, how you must suffer.”

***

“Can we please leave now? I’ve never had such a bad drink for so much money, Pearl, and the music is the fucking worst.”

“Okay, okay, let’s – no, wait! Wait a second, it’s my friend over there! Willam! Willam, man, hey, how are you doing?”

Willam was by the bar, nursing a colorful drink of his own, his signature smirk nowhere to be seen, looking like he hasn’t slept in a month, his hair matted and pathetic, his shirt not even ironed. His eyes were glazed and got Pearl thinking what he took, because he obviously took something.

“Pearl? Hello. Long time no see.”

That wasn’t quite the Willam Pearl used to know, the bright party animal and a driven journalist that was trying to coax her into spilling valuable Galactica information so he could smear then in the press. When they met, Pearl realized almost immediately who she was dealing with, but that didn’t stop her from becoming unlikely friends with the guy, because he was a lot of fun, and always brought the good weed.

Speaking of which. “You wanna go out for a smoke? It’s too loud to talk here,” she said, and Willam nodded, gesturing to the exit door. Pearl grabbed Laila’s hand not to lose the girl in the crowd and they both followed Willam out.

“Who’s the cute one?” Willam asked as soon as they were on the street, lighting up two joints and passing them to Pearl and Laila, not preparing one for himself since he was on something else already.

Pearl smiled proudly. “Laila, my girlfriend.”

“Nice meeting you. I’m Willam. No extra I,” Willam said as Laila took the joint and then shook his offered hand. “You look kinda familiar though, boo boo, where did I see you?”

Laila bounced on her toes, rolling her eyes. “I’m a stripper at Cat Scratch.”

“Naaah, definitely not that. Don’t you sing in a band? Punk rock stuff? What are you guys called? Something food-related.”

“Soup of The Day! Yes, yes, thank you!” Laila jumped, obviously excited that somebody recognized her for her music. Willam put up his hand to high-five the girl as Pearl hugged her from behind, letting her free hand rest on Laila’s shoulder.

“What happened to the black-haired one?” asked Willam, squinting. Pearl had no idea what he meant, so she just took another drag of her joint.

“Black-haired? What - ”

“That chick you couldn’t shut up about back then. A black-haired one.”

“Oh! It’s an old story. Not a story at all.” Pearl found Laila’s hand, squeezing, since she could feel the shorter girl’s body stiffen. “What’s up with you, Will? You don’t look so good.”

“Nothing. Just my life is falling to pieces, same old.”

“What the fuck are you talking about?”

“It’s – nevermind. You guys enjoy the smoke. I’m off.”

“No!” Pearl reached out to grab Willam’s hand. “Tell me, maybe I can – maybe I can help?”

Willam laughed bitterly. “How? I lost my job, Pearl, and that fucking asshole Detox got me a bad rep all over town, so nobody would hire me, my husband hates me because we had to move into a smaller apartment where all the faucets are leaking, so now I have to sleep on the couch with my giant dog that drools on me all night long, so unless you have, like, a magic wand to solve all my problems then no, you can’t help me, thank you.”

The weed was starting to work, making Pearl connect the dots much slower, but the gears in her brain were already in motion. “I don’t have a wand,” she said, “but I know how to help you.”

***

The hallways at Galactica were mostly empty on a late Friday afternoon, everybody rushing to start the weekend. Betty, however, planned to spend most of the weekend working on ideas for the Christmas selection which was coming up, one of the major events of the year and a huge chance to shine. On the last team meeting, it was Betty’s design that got picked for the collection spot and she wanted to keep the momentum going.

She forgot to bring the most important sketches home with her and had to come back for them, expecting to find the design department completely empty.

As soon as she opened the door, she was met by a sound of a sewing machine and somebody swearing profusely.

“Fuck! Why won’t you - urgh!” Violet Chachki was sitting at her desk, red fabric surrounding her. After the entire broken leg fiasco Violet had completely faded into the background – Betty knew, because she was watching her carefully. The girl only talked to April and Trixie, submitted a mediocre design during the last team meeting, almost as if she was trying to remain as lowkey as possible. Right now, she was sitting with her head in her hands, completely quiet for a few moments before Betty heard her take a deep breath and she sat up, grabbing fabric and putting it into the machine once again. It was then that Betty noticed Violet was trying to use her left foot to control the speed of the machine. Violet swore again as she fucked up, accidentally hitting her hand on the machine as she tried to pull her fabric out since she had sewn too fast. “Fuck!”

Violet blew on her knuckle, trying to calm down the red mark that was growing on her skin when she got eye contact with Betty.

“Hey Betty… Here to laugh at me?” Violet looked down, clearly ashamed that Betty had seen her like this.

Conflicted, Betty refrained from saying anything, instead walking up to Violet to take a look at the sketches she had spread on her work station. The girl tried to snatch it away, but Betty was faster, holding the paper down and taking a good look at a project of a dress. The project was – good. It was very, very good.

“Why do you insist on sewing everything?” That was the part Betty couldn’t understand. Violet had the design mostly ready, she could easily hand it to the tailor and only supervise and make corrections, but no, she had to do it all by herself.

“It helps me understand the materials more, and it gives me the chance to test it out… Make adjustments, make sure that it fits the dimensions that I want, it helps me edit.” Violet looked down, her fingers folding and putting needles into a new piece of fabric. “The tailors have to be able to make it, and, well… I do have a thing for details…” Violet smiled a little.

Before Betty could think about what she was doing, she was behind Violet, asking her to move from her spot by the machine. “How do you want it? Like this?” She placed the fabric underneath the machine needle, toeing off her high-heeled shoe.

Violet nodded, all tense, leaning on her desk. Betty hit the pedal, the needles biting into the fabric of Violet’s red gown.

For a little over an hour, the only sound that could be heard was the machine and Violet giving directions quietly, but surely. When the gown was done, Betty stood up, holding the dress so that Violet could take a good look.

“So? You can make any adjustments by hand now.”

The younger girl took a while to find her words. “It’s – it’s just how I wanted it. Thank you, Betty.”

Betty could see how Violet was squirming to ask why Betty helped her, so it was time to run. “Don’t mention it. I mean it. Don’t tell anyone.” She handed Violet the gown, turning around to finally go to her own desk and find the missing sketches.

When she was by the door, about to leave, she heard Violet say, “Betty?”

“Yes?”

“Have a nice weekend.”

Betty looked at Violet, the dark-haired girl’s expression sincere. She nodded, trying to smile.

“Thanks. You too.”

***

Courtney avoided Adore’s text messages for days, but as the weekend rolled around and Adore’s signature loud pounding sounded on the door, she knew there was no escape.

“COURTNEY ACT YOU OPEN THE GODDAMN DOOR, I KNOW YOU’RE HOME. I SAW YOU INSTAGRAM THAT DUMB VEGAN DELIVERY TWENTY MINUTES AGO! DO NOT IGNORE ME OR I WILL–Oh, hi…”

Adore stopped yelling once Courtney opened the door, sighing. “I have neighbors, you know,” she reminded her friend.

Adore pushed past her and threw herself down on the loveseat. “Yeah, well…don’t ignore me, bitch.”

“I wasn’t trying to ignore you. I just…I didn’t know what to…” Courtney closed her eyes.

“Listen. I know how my sister is. Okay? You wouldn’t be the first straight girl she’s gone after.”

Courtney sat down gingerly beside her. “Oh?”

“Yeah, I mean, she’s a total player. You must have heard stories.”

“I guess I have, but I–”

“She feels really bad this time, though.”

“She does?”

"Yeah, totally. She sent over this stuff for you.” Adore showed Courtney the bag in her hand, filled with leftovers, including the dessert she’d missed.

Courtney closed her eyes again, fighting back tears.

“Hey, Court…” Adore kissed her friend on the cheek. “I’m sorry too. I should have…I dunno, I should have warned you about B’s weakness for pretty blondes. And you’re so friendly and sweet, it’s no wonder that she got the wrong idea. You know?”

Courtney bit her lip and turned away, curling up on one end of the loveseat.

“Court, she didn’t…like, she didn’t hurt you, did she?”

"No! God, no. Why would you…why would you think that?”

Adore held up her hands. “Hey, I’m just trying to figure out the whole story. I care about you, and you’re obviously really upset by what happened, so I thought…I mean, I love her, but she sort of has this way sometimes, of manipulating people.”

"Stop it. Okay? She didn’t do anything wrong. She didn’t…” Courtney sighed again.

“What? She didn’t what?”

"She didn’t…get…the wrong idea. Exactly.”

"Wait…what?”

"She didn’t misread any signals. She read the signals right.”

"I’m so confused.”

Courtney held her head in her hands. “I mean, yeah, she kissed me, but I sort of…in the moment, I really wanted her to. I was practically begging for it.” When Adore didn’t respond, she turned her head slightly, peeking through her fingers.

Adore’s mouth hung open for a few moments, then she asked incredulously, “Courtney Act, are you gay?”

"No! I mean…I don’t…know. I don’t know.” Courtney groaned and flopped back against the cushions.

“Do you like Bianca?! Like, LIKE like her?” Adore was now smiling deviously.

“I…maybe? I think…I think so, but Adore, please don’t tell her I said that, oh God!” Courtney rested her head in Adore’s lap, still covering her face with her hands.

“I promise I won’t. I’ll just say…you’re not mad? Or–”

"No, that’s good. I don’t want her to think I’m mad.”

Adore giggled, running her fingers through Courtney’s long blonde hair.

"Wait a second. So how exactly did you ‘beg’ for it?”

"Ummm…” Courtney sat up and closed her eyes for a second, then opened them and looked at Adore intensely, lips parted, eyes misty and pleading. After a few moments, she blinked and sheepishly broke eye contact. “Sort of like that.”

"Daaaaaaamn. You slut!” Adore exclaimed, impressed.

Courtney laughed and leaned back on the cushions again. “I know, right?’

"Dude. Why couldn’t you have wanted to explore these feelings in college?”

Courtney picked up a pillow and hit Adore in the face, causing them both to dissolve into laughter.

***  
Raven was humming to herself as she made her way down the hall. She was happy to live in the same building as her best friend and future brother in law. But she was even happier because she had a key and the alarm code to his place, the fact that Sutan trusted her so much filling her heart with joy.

Raven didn’t just go into his home without a reason or goal, she always had a plan. Sometimes she would come and clean his condo; it wasn’t really necessary since he had housekeeping, but it was a nice activity for when she was bored. At other times, she would organize and cook for him so he wouldn’t have to worry about dinner for a few days.

But she wasn’t always so nice. On days like today, she came to raid his liquor cabinet and the refrigerator, her and Raja’s place never really having any food she wanted on days like today. Raven quickly let herself in and made her way towards the kitchen.

It was a gloomy day in New York; snow falling from the skies, covering the ground in what quickly turned into a murky grey slush.

Raven loved her job, she really did, but the schedule of a model was never very consistent when it wasn’t Fashion Week. Since all of her closest friends worked full time, many of them as managers, editors or bosses, no one had time to hang out with her. Because of that, Raven decided to do what any normal person would do before 11am: day drinking.

“Oh fuck!” Raven screamed and held her chest in her shock. “You scared me!”

Sitting at Sutan’s dining room table was her little darling, Violet, who was surrounded by papers and design books from different designers and concepts, her pens and markers spread out.

Violet looked up sharply, startled out of her concentration only to find Raven standing there. “Hey Raven,” Violet greeted with a soft smile, not even touched by the fact that she was the one who should have been startled since she wasn’t expecting company.

“What are you doing here?” Raven asked.

“I slept over last night and Sutan allowed me to stay while I get this done…” Violet gestured to the content of the table. “We submitted our Christmas ideas yesterday, so there’s nothing to do about that but wait, so now I’m trying to… You know, brainstorm for New Years. Everywhere in New York is so loud all of the time, and well… I love being here, where it’s quiet so I can think,” she replied easily. “But I think the real question is, how did you get in here?”

Raven gave the seated woman a dazzling smile before she sat down. “I have a key.”

“Ah.”

“I came to raid his fridge and liquor cabinet,” Raven said with a shrug. “Raja drank all the white wine and I know TanTan has some.”

Violet giggled at Raven’s pout over not having any more white wine. “Oh, the horror.”

“It is a tragedy of epic proportions!” Raven laughed, before she grew quiet. “…would you mind some company?“

To the world, Raven was an enigma. She kept a resting bitch face, with an attitude to match, but behind closed doors, she was relaxed and playful. In Raven’s own eyes, her biggest character flaw was that she was needy. Not to say she was clingy, but when she wasn’t working or running around town, she was often alone at home, so the prospect of potentially having some form of direct human interaction for the day was almost impossible to pass up, even if it meant she had to beg.

“I mean if you’re not too busy with your work and all… I don’t want to disturb you.”

Violet saw the glint of loneliness in Raven’s eyes and she knew that she couldn’t turn the other woman away; she knew that feeling of loneliness, and she didn’t want her friend to feel it if she could help.

“I’d love some company. I was going to take a short break and make some tea anyway,” she continued as she got up from her seat and stretched causing her joints to make small popping sounds, her leg stretching out properly. “Do you want any? I have some wild jasmine and mint tea.”

“I’d love that.” Raven replied with a smile.

***

“So I took the liberty of getting lunch delivered. I hope you don’t mind pho noodles.” Raven walked into the dining room, hands clenching multiple bag handles as she had taken a quick trip to her own apartment.

Raven was trying her best to be a good hostess even though it wasn’t her home, the reasons behind the fact that was inserting herself in Violet’s ‘working at home’ bubble and that Violet was injured.

Violet smiled gratefully at the other women’s thoughtfulness.

“That sounds perfect for a day like today.”

The sky had opened up, snow falling so heavily that the world outside had turned into a white blur.

“Poor delivery boy though… We should probably give him an extra tip…”

“Oh great,” Raven sighed in relief as she put the bags on a small area of Sutan’s table that wasn’t covered with designs and fabric samples. “I figured with how nasty the weather is being, something warming that still has a lightness to it would be appropriate. And it helps there’s this place in Chinatown that has amazing chicken and beef pho noodles and spring rolls,” Raven started as she walked into the kitchen grabbing two huge soup bowls and a little platter for their spring rolls. Just because it was takeout didn’t mean it couldn’t look beautiful. “So I decided why not. And what doesn’t get eaten can go to the others or whatever,” she said with a shrug as she set her finds down.

“Sounds like you have it all planned out,” said Violet with a laugh as she moved her sketch book out of the way. “It all smells amazing though,” she said after a tentative sniff.

“I know!” exclaimed Raven as she delicately placed the last spring roll on the little decorative platter beside the fresh herbs and lime wedges for their soup. “Hey, do you want to eat in the living room?” asked Raven as she set the bowls and the soup containers onto a larger serving platter.

“That sounds like a great idea, it would be nice to have a little bit of a change of scenery,” said Violet as she gingerly moved her leg she had propped up on another chair and grabbed her crutches so she could follow Raven into the living room.

Raven tried not to cringe and stare at Violet as she hobbled beside her out of the dining room and into the living room. It made her so sad to see her Violet hurt and not at 100%. When Raja told her what happened, she wanted to go and see her, but she wasn’t entirely sober and she couldn’t stop crying for her friend. “Yeah, that, and it’s so much more comfortable to curl up on the couch with a bowl of soup, all warm and cozy, than at the table,” she said as she set the platter down on the side table she bought to replace the glass coffee table that broke after a game of drunk Twister; it was a long story. “Do you need any help?” Raven asked, not trying to make it seem like she was pitying or trying to baby Violet; she just wanted to help her feel as comfortable as possible.

“If you could help me prop my leg up on some pillows that would be great,” Violet replied as she sat down on the chaise side of Sutan’s L-shaped couch. She appreciated the fact that Raven was trying to act as normal as possible, even though she could feel her bright grey eyes watching her like a hawk. Violet was just happy that she wasn’t hovering over her as if she would break another limb if she blinked too quick.

“Sure, no problem!” said Raven as she snapped to attention and helped Violet get comfortable. “I hope you don’t mind me asking, because I don’t want to make you feel uncomfortable; but how did you get hurt?” she asked as she laid a blanket over Violet’s legs so she would stay warm and comfortable. “I mean if you don’t want to talk, that’s okay, because it’s really none of my business and I don’t want to stress you out if it’s a traumatic experience,” rambled Raven as she shifted from one foot to another while tugging on a lock of her hair, trying to not show her nerves.

Violet was so touched; here Raven was trying to make her comfortable and treat her as normally as possible, while trying to talk around the pink elephant in the room. “It’s okay, Raven, I don’t mind,” Violet said softly. “Someone I work with pushed me,” she said simply much to Raven’s horror.

Raven was shocked; who would try and hurt her little Violet and at the extent to seriously injure her? “Do you want me to beat them up?” she asked seriously while tears were starting to prick at her eyes.

Violet had to choke down a laugh at the thought of Raven beating up Betty. ‘I wonder who would win?’ she thought to herself. “No, that’s okay, it comes with the territory. I’m just happy that it wasn’t worse than this simple break,” Violet said gesturing to her cast. “It could have been worse,” she finished simply.

Raven was stunned; this was just another reason why she loved herself some Violet. “You’re as crazy as you are amazing,” Raven said with a small smile. “Because if I was the one who would have gotten pushed or whatever, it would have been a goddamn fight to the death,” she said with a laugh.

“Well, I’m glad you’re not the one with a broken leg,” Violet said with a laugh as she watch Raven pull up the tall side table closer to the couch where they would be sitting. “I don’t think Raja or Sutan would want to see your mugshots on the front of the society pages because you assaulted someone.”

“Well, as long as I didn’t start it, it’d be okay,” Raven said flippantly as she handed Violet a bowl of chicken pho. “I wasn’t sure if you ate beef, so I got you chicken. But you’re definitely welcome to trade with me if you want beef instead.”

“Oh no! I’m more than fine with chicken, thank you,” Violet finished with a smile, as she sat the bowl down on top of the pillow Raven placed in her lap so she wouldn’t have to hold it.

“Okay, great. I didn’t want to order something that you weren’t going to eat. But dig in!” said Raven with a big smile as she settled herself in her little makeshift nest on the couch near Violet. “So what do you want to watch?” she asked as she grabbed the remote control and opened up Netflix; she loved Sutan’s new smart TV.

“It might seem cliché,” started Violet as she took a sip of the hot soup broth. “But I’d love to watch Sex in the City…” she said with a small smile.

“That sounds like music to my ears,” Raven said with a big smile. “Do you want to watch the movies or the show?” she asked as she started typing the name of the show in the search box.

“Would you mind watching the show?” Violet asked. “I’ve never watched the whole thing…”

“Oh my gosh!” said Raven and she whipped around to look at the younger woman. “Okay, we are definitely starting from season 1, episode 1 because you’re missing out on so much!” she said while shimmying her shoulders in happiness at the thought of sharing one of her favorite shows with one of her favorite people.

***

“Pearl? What’s up?”

“Willam, thank God you didn’t change your phone number. Look, man, I have an offer for you.”

The cold was biting into Willam’s skin as he was walking his dog in a park of his new, lame neighbourhood. What could Pearl Liaison possibly want? During the times when they were hanging out, he was always the one to reach out to her.

“An offer? Hit me up.”

“It’s a job offer.”

Willam almost dropped Warner’s leash. Here we fucking go, Pearl Liaison being the first guest of Willam’s pity party. “Pearl, I told you already, I don’t want any – ”

“It’s non-negotiable. You can write pretty damn well, and you have all these contacts in the field. I’m sure you also know how to tweet and use Instagram, right?”

Willam sat down on an icy bench, bracing himself. “What is the company?” he asked, although he knew the answer already, and he knew he would have no option other than to take the offer. He could make this month’s rent, but not the next one.  _Don’t say Galactica, please don’t fucking say Galactica._

“You’d be working for me in Galactica! I need some serious help running our blog, you’re gonna do great. Also Social Media is full of the coolest people. You’ll see. Please don’t say no.”

Willam searched in himself for the strength to refuse. He remembered Courtney’s beautiful, naïve smile, he remembered her tears when she threw that wine bottle at him. He remembered useless photos of the documents he took, still saved on Rhea’s phone, Rhea calling him in the middle of the night, drunk and crying, “Come on, man, let’s fucking publish the stuff anyway, I hate working here without you.”

“Okay, Pearl, when do I start?”

“Tomorrow morning? Come around 11. See you there, man! I’m so happy you agreed.”

“Me too.” Yeah, over the fucking moon. “Thanks. I’ll be there.”

Willam hung up, looking at Warner’s head on his knee. He patted the dog’s soft fur. “Why does the world hate us, Warner?”

***

“Deck the halls with boughs of holly, la la la la la lala la la!” Katya’s singing was, as always, awfully out of tune, but Trixie loved it anyway. He was a fan of the joyful atmosphere of Christmas preparation; everything from baking gingerbread cookies, last minute gift shopping, to decorating the apartment in Disney ornaments that him and Katya have gathered a ton of through their years together.

Trixie was sitting at the kitchen table, going through suggestions from his designers. The pre-Christmas design team meeting of the year was tomorrow, and he already knew he would have to make some hard decisions. Meanwhile, Katya was working on a true masterpiece on the kitchen wall, decorating it to resemble a snowy forest dwelled by elves. She was wearing a crazy Christmas sweater with a pug in a Santa hat, while Trixie had on a Gremlins one. The season for ugly sweaters was officially open.

“Awh, sugarbutt, do you remember this one? We got it on that date where we had hot-dogs and went mini golfing!” Katya picked up a string of plastic crystals that looked like icicles if you squinted hard enough.

“Of course I remember! It’s my favorite one!”

Katya laughed, running to hug Trixie from behind, laying a brief, but warm kiss on his cheek as she wrapped him with bright red tinsel. He grabbed her by the hand, deciding to put her in his lap and just kiss her for a while, but the doorbell rang loudly before he could do so.

“I’ll get it,” he said, getting out of the chair and slapping Katya’s ass on the way, to which she yelled indecently. “It’s probably takeout for Pearl anyway.”

Trixie got his wallet ready before he flung the door open, expecting to see a delivery person, but the sight in front of him almost made him take a step back.

“Still celebrating a corporate, capitalistic, Catholic tradition made to trick the pagans into no longer having their own winter solstice? Nice, bro.”

His very own sister, Trannika, wrapped in a winter coat and a hideous, colorful scarf, was standing in the doorway, a big bag hanging from her arm. He failed to say anything as she simply stepped inside, dropping her bag to the floor and giving Trixie a one-armed hug, her long, curly hair tickling his face.

“Why are you in New York?”

{Is our language not good enough for you anymore?} Trannika slipped into Ojibwe without hesitation, her command of the language flawless, putting Trixie’s abilities to shame.

{As you might’ve noticed, I live among people who don’t speak it.}

{You must be glad I’m here to save you, then.} Katya kept on singing carols in the kitchen, causing a frown to run through Trannika’s forehead.

{Who says I need to be saved from anything?}

{The fact that you’re wearing a Christmas sweater is enough for me.}

“Why are you in my house?”

“I’m here to protest the Christmas tree industry, I do this every year.”

“Of course. Come on in, then, I guess. Unless you despise my capitalistic home, filled with furniture made by the blood of our people. Or whatever.”

’‘Trixie, I can’t – ”, Trannika started as they walked to the kitchen, but was cut off by Katya, jumping excitedly at the sight of the other girl. Trannika always had a soft spot for Katya, definitely seeming to enjoy her company more than Trixie’s.

“Trannika! What a surprise!” Katya run up to Trannika, the girls hugging and kissing on cheeks. “I’ve just made cookies! Do you want one?”

“Did you use eggs?” Trannika raised an eyebrow.

“Oh.” Katya’s face fell, Trixie really wanting to slap the bullshit out of Trannika. She deserved it if she made Katya sad. “Right, sorry, shit, you don’t eat animal products. I’ll make you some new ones.”

“No, Katya, you don’t have to!”

“I insist!”

She run off to the stove, humming to herself again, pulling out her phone to find what Trixie was sure was going to be a vegan cookie recipe. Trixie and Trannika sat down by the table, Trannika looking at the decorations Katya put up with visible contempt, turning her eyes to the table where Trixie put all printed out suggestions from designers. After ten seconds of flipping through them, Trannika sighed deeply.

{How you’ve been?}

“Please use English.”

“How you’ve been?”

“Pretty great. Everything’s fine. Katya and I got engaged.”

“What?! And I didn’t know?” Trannika grabbed Trixie’s elbow, torn between looking shocked, happy and offended.

“How was I supposed to tell you? You don’t even have Facebook!”

“Facebook is a tool invented by the Jews to – ”

“Take away our privacy and force us all into one beehive, I know, Jesus. Please shut up already.” Trixie felt like he was going to explode if Trannika said one more phrase like that,

“Trixie, I – Katya! Congratulations on your engagement! Your stupid fiancée didn’t even tell his own sister!”

“Half-sister,” injected Trixie.

“Oh, thank you, angel! We’ve tried calling you, but couldn’t reach you.” Katya smiled from where she was mixing up batter for cookies.

“I changed my number.”

“You know what, it’s okay now.” Katya came to the table, laying her flour-covered fingers on Trannika’s shoulder, looking the girl up and down. “Let me take your measurements so I can make you a Christmas sweater too! I am getting pretty good at knitting, right, Trix?”

“Thanks, Katya, but I’d rather not – ”

“It’s not a matter of discussion. I’m making you one.”

{Zero – one, bitch}, mouthed Trixie, his sister flipping him off.

***

“Baaaaabe. Do you know what time it is? Come to bed!”

Shane couldn’t see all that well without his glasses, but he could make out Betty by the kitchen table in her night gown, a piece of fabric in her hand and a pile of them on the floor.

“I can’t yet. Just – I need to do this, okay? I saw what Violet is doing for the pre-Christmas meeting, and I’m going to make her eat dirt at the next one.”

“You’re – figuratively, right?”

“What?” Betty threw Shane a look, the lack of sleep and messy hair making her look deranged. “Yeah, sure, whatever.”

Shane’s feet were cold and he just wanted to go to sleep, so he came up to Betty and forcefully dragged her out from the chair, his girlfriend grabbing on the scraps of fabric.

“No, you don’t understand! I have to finish this tonight!”

“And I want to sleep, and I can’t without you. So we’re going. Just set the alarm for earlier in the morning.”

“But, Shane!”

“No. Bed, now.”

With a heavy sigh, Betty let go of the fabric, following Shane to the bedroom in small, tired steps.

 


	18. Chapter 18

“Dada!”

Detox opened his eyes to see his son trying to crawl into bed with him and his wife. It was early morning, Juju still sleeping next to him, the baby in her belly sucking all energy out of her. A quick glance at the clock told Detox that their alarm would go off at any minute, so he quickly turned the clock off, letting Juju get a few extra minutes of sleep.

“Hey champ, what’s up?” Detox reached out and hauled his son into bed, the boy immediately settling into his arm, before he noticed that his sister was standing at the door.

If anyone had asked Detox where he had seen himself at the age of 43, being a dad with a grown girl, twins and now a fourth on the way had been the last thing on his list of guesses. Detox had never seen himself as a dad, but a broken condom and the look of selfless love and mother instinct on Juju’s face had changed his mind. When she had told him that she was keeping the baby no matter what, after getting pregnant only three months into their whirlwind romance, he had jumped in with both legs first and never looked back and now he wouldn’t change it for anything in the world, the fact that his oldest was graduating high school in a matter of months still feeling like a dream sometimes.

Detox watched his daughter for a little while, trying to decide if she wanted to come in or not, before he smiled and held out his arm, Julia running on unsteady legs to get picked up too, the two kids now snuggled up in his arms as Detox was sitting up against the headboard.

“I wan, I wan, I wanna juice.”

“You want juice?”

“Mmmh!” Owen smiled, his face breaking into sunlight at his daddy’s attention, and Detox remembered how much he loved his little family. It wasn’t always easy, but they made it work. Juju being an amazing mother who somehow managed to run her business and be there for all of their kids.

“Why don’t you and Julia wake mommy, and then daddy will go make some PB&Js and juice for everyone, okay?”

“Mmmh!”

Detox kissed their foreheads, holding the twins for a few seconds longer before he released them on their unsuspecting mother, the screams of delight as they jumped around on the bed keeping him company from the bedroom while he walked to the kitchen, desperately hoping a member of staff was already up and in the kitchen, since he had no idea how to make any kind of food besides jelly sandwiches.

***

“You didn’t have to do this.” Violet looked at Sutan as the elevator door pinged open, the two of them walking onto the design floor of Galactica.

“Baby, you’re literally on crutches.” Sutan smiled, holding the door open, allowing Violet to get in.

“Well, it is very sweet of you to fulfill your duties as as full-time boyfriend by carrying my stuff.”

Violet smiled a little at Sutan; she found him slightly ridiculous, but she was still very glad that Sutan had taken time out of his day, his help essential as she made her way to her desk, not meeting anyone’s eyes. She was fast and efficient even though she was on crutches and in sneakers, the way she moved clearly indicating that this was not her first time with a broken limb.

“Aren’t I a little old to be your boyfriend?” Sutan smiled, thankful that the floor was practically empty as Violet had insisted on coming in early to avoid having to get to her seat in front of her coworkers. He placed Violets bag by her desk, making sure that it was within reach for her, before he handed her the coffee they had gotten at the Starbucks in the lobby.

“You’re right, from now on I will refer to you as my manfriend.”

Violet laughed as Sutan pinched her, his lips pressing against her forehead in a kiss.

“Call me if you need anything, and I mean it, anything at all. You have my private cell, my work number and Mimi’s as well, right?”

“I do, and I will call if I need anything, but I’ll be a good girl and behave … I promise.” Violet titled her head up, getting a sweet and quick kiss, the couple exchanging ‘I love yous’ before Sutan left, Violet preparing the last of her presentation for the day’s team meeting.

***

“Hey Violet, are you ready to go down?” Violet looked over her shoulder, a bit surprised to see Betty leaning in to whisper to her.

“Down where?”

“Downtown.”

Violet smiled, an angelic expression on her face as she played dumb.

“Thank you for offering, Betty, but I don’t need anything from Downtown.”

“Well you’ll be going anywa- urgh, stop ruining my trash talk and just fucking know that I’m going to destroy you.” Betty crossed her arms and fell back into her seat when they received a pointed look from Raja, their whispering distracting Manila who was showing off her idea for a red glittery heel.

“I’d like to see you try.”

“You just wait and see.”

Violet smiled, turning her attention back towards the presentation, a small glow of happiness in her chest since she knew she was slowly making a friend.

***

“So do we agree on our Christmas collections?”

Fame looked at Raja and Trixie, the table between them full with prints of the designs they had received from the department.

“I feel confident in it.” Raja was sitting with her head in her hand, looking out on the collection they had put together to be in shops in about a week.

Trixie nodded as well. They had chosen a set of earrings from April, small mistletoes in dark green stone, two knit designs from Alexis, a cocktail dress from Gia in black and Violet’s red gown.

Trixie had been quite surprised when he had received no less than three different design suggestions from Betty, all of them fighting for the same spot as the evening wear piece, even though it wasn’t Betty’s usual area of interest or expertise. He knew he would probably have to talk to the girls at one point, but when he looked down at the table, watching the pile of rejects, he realized that their competition was also pushing both of them to work even harder.

***

_Adore: Hey my little baby lesbian…_

_Courtney: OMIGOD SHUT UP!!!!!!!!!_

_Adore: Sorry. So, are you going back to Australia over the holidays?_

_Courtney. No. I’m broke. :*(_

_Adore: Good! You’re gonna spend them with me._

_Courtney: But don’t you spend the holidays with your sister?_

_Adore: Why yes I do, you are so very clever, baby!_

_Courtney: Adore…_

_Adore: What??_

_Courtney: You better not have told her anything._

_Adore: I SWEAR I didn’t. I just asked if I could invite you and she said sure. That’s it. You can sleep in the guest room with me_

_Courtney: Sleep?_

_Adore: Unless you’d prefer a different bed with someone else in it…_

_Courtney: SHUT UP and exactly how long are we talking about???_

_Adore: Not that long just like, Christmas Eve through New Year’s. I promise she’ll behave. Unless, you know, you tempt her with your eyes again._

_Courtney: OH MY GOD STOP IT_

***

It had been almost two weeks since Raja had last really seen Raven. Sure, they had seen each other in passing, both of them sometimes home in the morning, or the two of them getting together for drinks with friends or an attending of the same party, but with Raven taking a quick trip to sunny Milan for a Vouge Italy photoshoot, Raja had seen her fiancée even less, and she had missed Raven, missed spending actual time with her, so when she walked into their condo after a long day at the office, more than ready to just take off her makeup and crawl into bed, she was surprised to see Raven in a crop top and short shorts dancing around in the kitchen.

“What a lovely surprise,” Raja purred against Raven’s neck as she scattered kisses on her fiancée’s tanned skin, causing her to giggle as she continued chopping fresh herbs.

“Is that my beloved Rajie?” Raven asked playfully as she shivered in delight as Raja ran her manicured nails lightly down her arms before she wrapped them around her waist in a hug.

“I’ve missed you so much, princess. How was work?” Raja asked as she moved with Raven as she continued to cook, not wanting to be in the way but not wanting to let her go. “The house has been so quiet and our bed so empty without you,” she whispered softly.

“You know I missed you more than you know,” Raven replied silkily as she and Raja turned so she could add the herbs to the lobster risotto she was making for them to share. “I even took a pair of your ankle strap heels and necklace so I could feel close to you.”

“Well at least I know where my Python heels went, along with my necklace,” Raja said as she added some chili oil to the dish as Raven turned off the heat. “I had Sutan look at his place for my stuff because I couldn’t find them.”

“Aww, I’m sorry love.” Raven said as she turned to face Raja, to really see her, for what felt like the first time in two weeks. It was like she had not seen her in years, she was so disarmingly beautiful. There was never a day that went by that she didn’t look at her future wife and think that even though they weren’t perfect people, Raja was a perfect fit for her.

“It’s okay,” Raja said lowly before kissing Raven gently on her plump lips. “If it brought you comfort while you were away, then that’s all that matters,” she whispered as she held Raven close, she didn’t realize how much she missed holding the smaller woman until she was gone. “But let’s eat because that risotto smells amazing and I haven’t had a real meal since you left.”

“Awww baby.” Raven cooed sweetly as she kissed Raja’s collarbone. “Come on, I won’t keep your belly waiting any longer, go get washed up and by the time you come back dinner will be waiting for you,” she said as she gently turned the taller woman around and pushed her out the kitchen. “Now go, Ms. Amrull,” Raven finished in Russian.

“You’re so bossy,” Raja said with a laugh as she grabbed her bag as Raven lightly pushed her out the kitchen. “But if you insist that I must leave then I’ll oblige you, but after dinner,” she said turning her head to look at Raven over her shoulder. “You’re mine,” she finished with a saucy smile.

“Don’t threaten me with a great time.”

“I’ll do whatever I want, princess.”

“That’s what I was hoping for.”

***

Violet was on her way back from the bathroom, her journey slow and painful on her crutches, but it didn’t matter. She had beaten Betty the day before, fair and square, the woman’s dropped jaw filling Violet with the most delicious and naughty delight. Betty had looked at her however, the two girls slowly starting to smile as they knew the race for New Year’s was on.

Betty had come to Violet’s desk, a printed list of the slots that were available for New Year’s in her hand.

“Have you seen the dress openings?”

“Mmh.”

“There’s three.”

“I know. Winner takes it all?” suggested Violet.

“Who do you think I am? Some kind of wuss?”

“Of course not.”

The girls has shaken hands, the new lines of the battlefield drawn up before they went down to lunch together, Betty filling Violet’s tray for her as if they had always done it this way.

Coming back from lunch, Violet was so deeply lost in thought that she almost collided with someone who was apparently running around the entire department, handing out flyers to everyone around.

“Violet!” Shane extended a hand, giving Violet a flyer too. She glanced at the piece of paper that depicted a rather blurry photo of a band, the name Bach Street Boys, and a date and place of a show.

“I’m inviting everyone to my show, and maybe this time somebody will finally come,” he said, sending a glare to another designer who was just passing by without accepting his flyer.

“Thank you?” said Violet carefully, rearranging her hands so she could carry the piece of paper without crumbling it. “I didn’t know you played in a band?”

“Of course! I’m a violinist, violist and cellist.”

“Really? That’s amazing.”

“Come on, Shane, are you at it again?” Trixie approached them and slung an arm around Violet’s shoulders, nearly knocking her off balance, a smile still blooming on her face though at Trixie’s easy contact. “Please stop bullying your coworkers into going to your shows.”

“No, Trixie, seriously. I invite you guys every fucking time, and no one ever comes! Nobody but Betty even believes I can actually play an instrument! Isn’t that ridiculous? What do you think, Violet?”

Violet realized it would be best not to respond, but Shane kept looking at her, expecting an answer.

“You know what we’re gonna do? Hey, guys!” Trixie yelled, climbing on top of one of the tables so that everyone could see him. “Whoever goes to Shane’s concert this weekend as an official representative of our department, is off cake duty for six months.”

“Make it a year,” said Alexis.

“Sold to Alexis Mateo!” Trixie started applauding, causing the entire department to break into clapping and cheering.

Shane muttered something that sounded like “Thanks for being so supportive and wonderful, assholes.”

Violet touched his shoulder gently.

“Shane?”

“Yes, Violet honey?” Shane turned, the hurt on his face that had been there only seconds ago gone already.

“I’d love to come to your show… Is it okay if I bring someone?”

“That’d be wonderful!”

Shane smiled at her like she just told him he won a lottery.

***

“Where do you think you’re going?” Katya was whispering as she looked over at her fiancé. Her and Trixie were in the cinema, the newest chick flick running over the screen, but Trixie had desperately needed to get out of the house and to do anything but be home with his half-sister trying to get him to talk about why he wouldn’t speak Ojibwe. The cinema was mostly empty since it was the early afternoon on a weekday.

“I have to pee, I had an extra large soda.”

Katya placed her hand on Trixie’s chest, pushing him down into the seat, keeping him in place. “No.”

“What?!” Trixie hissed.

“I said no.”

And in that moment Trixie saw how Katya was smiling, and he felt a surge of arousal go through him.

“Okay…”

Trixie leaned back in his chair, Katya’s hand on his chest ending up on his stomach where it rested, keeping him in place.

Trixie couldn’t help but squirm, arousal and the need to pee getting mixed up in his head, a heavy sensation settling over his entire body, his fingers drumming on the seat, restless energy filling him as the movie continued.

“Katya, please… I’m about to explode.”

“No.”

Katya smiled, picking up her drink, her lips closing around the straw as she oh so slowly drank the rest of her own small soda, the sound causing chills to run over Trixie’s spine.

Katya held him in seat through the credits, and Trixie had tears in his eyes, he had to pee so badly, but Katya had told him he couldn’t, so he wouldn’t, because he was her good boy.

The very last name ran over the screen, and Katya removed her hand, Trixie shooting up from his seat, his jacket and even his shoes forgotten as he ran to the bathroom, a sense of euphoria rushing over him as he could finally, finally, finally pee, his entire body shivering in delight.

***

Raja, Raven and Sutan were all sitting at a cafe eating lunch, Raven the first one to spot Violet who didn’t even greet them before she grabbed Sutan’s glass of wine and chugged it all, dumping down totally ungracefully, everyone staring at her since Violet was normally not a daytime drinker at all.

“Baby? Are you okay?” Sutan pulled Violet’s leg up, placing it on a chair.

“I was at my bank today, and guess what? Guess what. My bank clerk is a  _fucking_  joke. I have paid every, single, month down to the cent, and guess what? Guess what? He changed the interest rate on my loan from a 3.1 rate to a 5.4, a 5.4! I knew I should have never trusted that vile human but it was the only place that I could find that would give me a loan big enough to cover tuition and materials as well. He’s such a… Such a… Urgh!” Violet reached over and grabbed Raven’s glass, drowning her wine as well.

“What are you talking about? Why have you borrowed money from a bank?”

“It’s my student loans…”

“You have student loans?”

“I’m 23, and I went to Parsons, one of the most expensive schools in America. Of course I have fucking student loans, get your head out of your ass, Sutan.”

All of a sudden, Raja burst into laughter, her hand covering her mouth as she practically shook trying to keep it inside, Raven followed shortly after, which made Violet laugh as well.

Violet felt silly after her outburst, but she had been so angry, all she could see was red.

“Oh God, oh God, I’m so sorry.” Violet turned to hug Sutan, holding him as she still chuckled, her cheeks red with embarrassment.

Raja wiped her eyes as tears had fallen from laughter “Out of all the insults, out of all the things I have heard from anyone you were dating,” Raja smiled, inspecting her glass of red wine before taking a sip and addressing her brother once more, “that has to be the funniest, and the truest” Raja said with a snort. “Thank you for sharing your rage ,Violet, may we experience it several times more,” Raja toasted to the young woman before drinking the rest of her wine and pouring fresh glasses for everyone

Violet was still hidden in Sutan’s shoulder who had his hand resting on the back of her head.

“Are you gonna be okay, Violet?” asked Raven while looking at her friend. She never saw her this upset, so she wanted to tread lightly. “Is there anything we can do to help? How much do you owe?”

“So much more than I should… I’m sorry, I just, I don’t even know what to do anymore, I shouldn’t have poured it out on you guys. I’m sorry.”

“They can’t just pull shit like that on you.” Sutan pressed a kiss against Violet’s temple, not even mad that she had just cussed him out. “Give me the number of your bank and I’ll look into it.”

“Really? You’d do that?”

“Of course.”

***

The water in the shower in the bathroom kept running, muffling Pearl’s attempts at singing a little bit. In the bedroom, Laila dried her hair with a towel, walking up to Pearl’s closet in just her underpants to look for something she could throw on, like a cute shirt or a sweater, but her eyes were immediately drawn to an open box standing on the bottom of the closet.

Pinks and purples of various shades attacked her eyes as she kneeled on the floor, not daring to touch the contents of the box which appeared to be a collection of very fancy sex toys: vibrators, dildos and a big strap-on Laila finally wrapped her fingers around, hoping that it’d been cleaned.

In this very moment Pearl walked out of the bathroom, naked, carrying a pile of her dirty clothes from last night, her hair dripping, seeing Laila with her hand on a fake dick.

“Well.”

“The box was sitting right there,” Laila gestured to the open closet, and Pearl nodded, swallowing, eyes wandering up and down Laila’s body. She walked up to the girl, softly running her hand down her arm before she put it on her hip.

“Do you wanna try it?”

They both looked at the strap-on Laila was holding, Pearl with excitement, Laila with uncertainty.

“But I’ve never - ”

“It’s okay.” Pearl was already pulling Laila’s panties down, buckling the straps of the toy around Laila’s hips.

When Laila was ready, Pearl’s breasts were already heaving up and down with labored breaths, a flush creeping up her cheeks. “You’re so fucking hot, baby.” Laila brought their bodies together, breathing in the smell of Pearl’s hair conditioner, the strap-on against Pearl’s thigh, their lips meeting in a crushing kiss, and Laila felt it. She heard it in a little moan that escaped Pearl’s hot mouth, she felt it in the way Pearl’s hands were shaking, tangled in her hair, she finally felt it when her own hand wandered between Pearl’s thighs only to come back covered in wetness.

Laila was more powerful than ever.

Somehow, she was more powerful now than when she was taking her clothes off onstage, watching Pearl strain not to touch herself, or even more powerful than when she had Pearl falling apart in her arms at a simple flick of Laila’s finger inside her.

Somehow, this piece of rubber gave her more power than she knew what to do with.

“On the floor, now. On your back,” she ordered, watching Pearl obey without blinking an eye, an expression on her face almost angelic. The blonde lay down on the wooden floor, far away from the soft carpet that decorated the area of Pearl’s bed, and immediately spread her legs, keeping her gaze fixed on Laila’s body.

Laila enjoyed the sensation of towering over Pearl, so she teased her a little, remaining standing until she took pity on her, diving in to join their lips, feeling Pearl’s hand on her ass, pulling her closer.

“Baby…” Pearl moaned as Laila found the pulse point on her neck, sucking on it. “Please fuck me, please, please do it now.”

Laila wanted to make Pearl’s toes curl, wanted to make her scream dirty words of pleasure, wanted to show her a time of her life. She slid two of her fingers into Pearl’s mouth, the blonde’s tongue wrapping around them immediately, and finally pushed the strap-on inside of Pearl.

The sensation was one of the weirdest feelings Laila ever experienced, supporting herself on her elbows over Pearl, her girlfriend’s eyes growing wide from being filled and then a broken whisper-yell escaping her, until they both stilled, looking at each other.

“What do I do now?” Laila asked, slightly embarrassed, seeing that Pearl was trying not to laugh. Everything was just too much to handle.

“I think you gotta, like, move your hips.”

“Like that?” Laila tried pushing forward, snapping the muscles she knew she had from dancing on the pole.

“Ohhhh,” Pearl’s eyes rolled into their head. “Yeah. Like that. Faster,” she moaned, drawing her nails into Laila’s shoulder blade, so Laila kept snapping her hips to the rhythm of Pearl’s breaths, wondering if Pearl could come from just this, from just being fucked like that, her eyelashes fluttering, groans growing louder so Laila pressed her hand against her mouth, careful not to freak out any of Pearl’s roommates.

Laila’s knees were hurting from the floor, but the sight in front of her eyes made up for the inconvenience.

“You’re ama – ahh – you’re amazing, Laila. Harder,” Pearl begged, her breath short, clearly almost ready to tip over the edge. Laila felt herself growing wet, too, the strap-on brushing against her clit as she fucked into Pearl, the most gorgeous girl in the world and everything she had never dared to dream about. Pearl’s legs that were wrapped around Laila’s waist gave out, dropping to the floor, and Pearl threw her head back, clinging onto Laila, riding the wave. Laila guided her through the orgasm, her strokes slow and deliberate now, until she saw Pearl raising her head and grinning at her brightly. She pulled the toy out of Pearl, unbuckling it, standing up and throwing it away as Pearl quickly got on her knees, laying her hands on Laila’s thighs and her lips on Laila’s clit, licking away.

Laila didn’t need much to come, too, biting her lips until they were bleeding while Pearl pleasured her, her tongue precise and never tired.

“Pearlie - ” Laila’s knees give out and then she reached her own release, dropping to the floor next to Pearl and kissing her wet mouth until she was done, her head spinning, gasping for air, holding Pearl’s hand, the both of them curling into a ball on the cold floor.

“So, that was…” started Pearl.

“Something else?”

“I wanted to say fucking mindblowing, but sure, whatever.”

Laila laughed, feeling her entire body relax. She messed up Pearl’s hair, dropping a kiss on top of her head for good measure.

“So, what other toys have you got?”

***

“Baby, I love you, but what’s so special that we have to come all the way out to Brooklyn to see it?”

“You promised I could choose what we’re doing tonight, and it’ll be fun, just trust me. Now come on! We’re going to be late!”

Sutan smiled and pulled Violet’s bag a little higher on his shoulder, his hand resting on the small of her back to make sure she wouldn’t fall as they made their way down a few steps covered in snow.

Sutan should have known that not even a broken leg could stop Violet whenever she wanted something. When Violet had called him earlier that day, her voice sweet as she asked him if he was free that night, he had never expected to step into a little dive bar in Brooklyn, the sign over the door reading TNT.

***

Shane was standing on stage, quickly checking for the last time if his violin was properly tuned and plugged in. He looked around at small crowd of people who had gathered by the bar and the tables.

“Told you nobody from your work would show up. You owe me ten bucks, dude.”

’‘Oh shut up, Ruby.” Shane sighed, knowing that his bandmate was right again. He looked at Betty at their usual table, feeling a little better when she flashed him a smile and showed her crossed fingers. At least someone cared.

They were almost ready to start playing when Shane noticed a commotion by the door, a tall, grey-haired man who looked vaguely familiar helping a girl on crutches walk into the bar. They looked around, Violet locating Betty and then seeing Shane onstage, giving him a small smile and a wave. Shane could see her mouthing “sorry” at him, a quick gesture to her leg an explanation as to why they were late, and Shane couldn’t keep the smile off his face.

“Hey Ruby. Guess what? You owe me ten.”

Ruby stuck her tongue out at him, reaching for the microphone. ’'Hello Brooklyn! We’re Bach Street Boys. Ragamuffin on drums, Shane on the violin! Show them some love, people! Clap! That’s more like it. I’m Ruby Roo, and let’s go!”

***

“Is this seat taken?”

Betty was almost ready to turn around and get angry; the music had already started and she was pretty sure that it was that bitch Jessica again, expecting free drinks and friendship. But when she turned, it wasn’t Jessica, it was Violet Chachki herself, and she wasn’t alone.

This was the first time Betty had seen anyone come out there, and it had always made her furious with anger that no one ever did. Shane cared so much about his music, and despite his constant efforts, nobody ever showed up at his gigs. Betty had a hen to pluck with Alexis who had promised to be there, but as always everyone had bailed, so Betty was genuinely surprised to see Violet there, out of all the people from their work.

“Violet? Hi! What a surprise.”

Violet gave Betty a quick and gentle hug, Betty slightly stunned at the gesture of friendship, but she guessed it did make sense.

Violet was dressed in a long, green dress, while her boyfriend, Sutan, who nodded to acknowledge Betty’s presence, had on a pair of black pants and a black, high-neck sweater.

“Hey Betty.” Violet smiled, Sutan helping her onto a chair, his hand quickly and gently guiding Violet’s leg into a comfortable position before he rearranged her dress so it covered the cast. Betty knew from work that Violet was ashamed of how visible her injury was, and a surge of shame washed over Betty’s body yet again.  
They all grew quiet as they listened to the music, but Betty couldn’t help watching the couple of the corner of her eye.

The way they behaved around each other indicated that they had spent a lot of time together, a certain closeness and comfort in their movements, like Sutan’s hand resting on Violet’s shoulder, steadying her as he stood next to her, the three of them listening while Shane’s band played the first few numbers of fusion jazz.

***

Everyone clapped as the music stopped. The band was taking a short break, which gave Sutan the opportunity to really look around and actually take in the place Violet had dragged him to.

The bar was rundown but charming, the ceiling low. Sutan assumed that he could easily touch the ceiling, palm flat if he reached up. The crowd looked like regulars, and even though there weren’t that many guests, those who had showed up clearly enjoyed the band.

“Do you like the music?” Sutan looked down at Violet, who nodded, a bright smile on her face.

“It’s great! It’s so great! I told you it would be great.”

Sutan laughed, Violet’s enthusiasm adorable. He had never expected it to happen, but Violet was incredibly passionate about what she had dubbed their “date” nights, her heart set on making sure she found things they could do together too. Sutan caught the fact that Betty was staring at them out of the corner of his eye, her attention focused fully on them. Sutan turned a little, Betty now in his line of sight.

The woman was harsh and even a little mean-looking, but there was still something intriguing about her. She would never be a model with her bubblegum pink hair, her sidecut and the strong set of her jaw, but none of the truly interesting people in the world had the symmetry and simplicity of a model’s face. She was smartly dressed in a blue jacket, her clothes like armor.

“So, you’re Betty?” Sutan smiled. “I’m sorry I didn’t recognize you before, I didn’t get a good look at you the last time we met, I was kinda… preoccupied.”

Sutan reached out, grabbing Betty’s long fingers with his own in a firm handshake, making sure he was crushing her palm just a little.

“I’m Sutan Amrull. My sister has told me so much about you.” Sutan couldn’t help the guilty pleasure that ran through him at Betty’s shocked expression when he mentioned Raja. He knew he was being mean, but teasing the girl was so much fun. Sutan released Betty’s hand, only getting a mutter and her name and in response.

The host of the night announced that the band would go back on shortly, and everyone started shuffling towards the bar, Sutan deciding to use to opportunity to get them some drinks as well.

“Does anyone want anything? Betty? You look like a drinks girl.” Sutan said. “What do you like? Rum and coke? A weeping jesus? Whiskey on the rocks?”

Betty, still seeming a little thrown off, shrugged, not responding to his question. Sutan was just about to ask again when Violet interrupted.

“I’m sure she has a regular drink, Sutan. Shane told me they’re here all the time.”

’'That’s true, I do have a regular, the bartender knows, just tell him it’s for Betty.”

Sutan nodded. “One regular and one vodka soda coming right up.” He leaned down, giving Violet a quick peck on the lips before he disappeared to get them their drinks, leaving the girls alone.

***

Violet looked after Sutan, not sure if she should feel abandoned or relieved by the fact that she got to spend a little alone time with Betty, just the two of them without music or the hustle of the cantine at work filling the silence.

“Shane’s really good”, she decided to speak up, smiling gently. “You must be so proud of him… How long has he played?”

’'Oh, forever.” Betty perked up, Violet happy that she struck the right cord. “He started violin in middle school, but he also plays viola and cello. This band has been going on for like four years, I think.”

“Really? That’s amazing! I had no idea he was so passionate about his craft, no wonder he’s that good then”, answered Violet, relief washing over her as she observed the smile blooming on Betty’s face. She felt Sutan’s hand on her arm again, the man setting down a tray of drinks for everybody as the band came back onstage to play a few more numbers.

***

“Thank you, everybody! You’ve been great, see you next time!”

The bar broke into applause as the band took a bowing round, Shane smiling widely and jumping off the stage to join them by the table, wrapping his arms around Betty from behind, the couple exchanging a kiss.

“Violet! So nice that you could come!”

“It’s my pleasure, you’re really amazing, I’m so happy I came! Sutan, this is Shane, I told you about him! He got me that extra two yards of satin without telling on me! Shane, this is Sutan. Do you guys know each other?”

“I don’t think we’ve ever been formally introduced.” Sutan reached out, grabbing Shane’s hand. “Hey man, I’m Sutan.”

’'Shane. Nice to finally meet you!”

Shane and Sutan quickly fell into conversation about music, the men finding out that they actually shared a lot of the same opinions and tastes.

“I love your dreadlocks, Shane, I can’t believe they’re real.”

“Do you wanna touch them? Seriously, come on. This is my hair, I don’t wear wigs.” Shane laughed, Sutan raising his hand to high-five him. The girls were deep into their own conversation about the ongoing season of Project Runway, Violet finishing up her second vodka soda.

“Is anyone here a smoker?” Sutan asked, the consumed alcohol fueling his need for a cigarette, but nobody volunteered.

Violet rolled her eyes, but not without a small smile on her face. “Guess you’re on your own, handsome.”

“It’s okay. Get everyone a round on me.” Sutan slipped two bills onto the table, Violet smiled, leaning in to get a kiss.

“You’re buying? Sweet! This just turned into a party! Refills for everyone? Refills for everyone!” Shane quickly picked up the 30 dollars, heading for the bar as Sutan headed outside.

***

Nobody could count on which round of drinks they were anymore, as Sutan just automatically walked to the bar each time they ran out of snacks or if anyone’s glass was empty, not even making it a debate and paying for everything, a near endless supply of dollar bills coming out of his pockets as far as Betty could see.

Betty didn’t mind taking advantage of the situation, a pleasant buzz in her head already, but she still couldn’t decide whether she liked Raja’s brother or not. She hated his sister, that was a given, but the man in front of her seemed easy-going, and he obviously cared for Violet a lot, even if he came off a little arrogant at times, the socialite asshole.

“So, how did you two meet? I’m seriously asking.” Shane asked, taking a swig of his beer. Betty smiled, glad that her boyfriend always asked all the right questions; how did Miss Fame’s former assistant end up in a serious relationship with an Elite booker? Betty was on the edge of her seat, ready to know the answer.

“Oh God.” Violet covered her face while Sutan broke into a Cheshire grin, not even slightly bothered by the invasive question.

“Do you want to tell this, or should I?” Sutan said, laughing when Violet shook her head, her cheeks red.

“Come on, mata indah, it’s not that bad. I have heard worse, hell. I have lived worse.”

“Not that bad? Not that bad? Okay, let me tell you how we met.” Violet said, talking with her hands as well as she began to tell the story, her movements free and uninhibited.

“We met at the Vogue fashion fund party last autumn, which sounds romantic, but it wasn’t a ‘he sees her across the floor and knows it’s love at first sight’ kind of moment, not even a little.”

“How dare you!” Sutan looked offended, his eyes sparkling with mischief. “It was very much a moment of love at first sight.”

“How could it possibly be that? I was crying my eyes out and I looked horrible.”

“What? You were crying? Why?” Betty couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She had never expected anything like that. Violet Chachki crying in public?

“Oh, no no no. That’s not the important part. The important part was that she tried to run away the moment she realized who I was.” Sutan grinned, clearly highly amused by the story as he emptied his glass of beer.

“I… I was just… It’s Sutan Amrull, why wouldn’t I run?”

Sutan laughed, a loud and honest sound, his hand tilting Violet’s head up so he could kiss her.

“Honestly, I only wanted to check if she was okay. I saw a beautiful girl crying at the bar all alone at the party, and I just wanted to see if I could do the good deed of the day by getting her a taxi, when she identified the brand of my handkerchief with a single look.”

“Frank Leder has a very recognizable style…”

“And then she offered to buy me a drink for the trouble.” Sutan smiled, a light chuckle leaving him. “We ended up talking all night, and then I bullied my sister until she gave me Violet’s number. I had no idea what her job was for the first couple of weeks until she literally had to serve me a cup of coffee in Fame’s office.”

“You have got to be kidding me.” The story turned out to be better than Betty had expected, sending Shane into a fit of giggles.

“I’m telling the truth, honest to God.”

Shane raised his beer bottle with a wide smile. “Well, here’s to crying in bars, bringing people together!”

“Wait wait wait, not so fast, how did you guys meet?” asked Sutan. “We’ve embarrassed ourselves, now it’s your turn!”

“It’s actually pretty boring”, said Betty with a shrug, clearly not keen on sharing the story, but Shane found her hand on the table and laced their fingers together.

“It’s not boring, hun, it’s just that you’re afraid to look like the bad guy! But it’s not /that/ awful. So, I was just starting my job at Galactica, trying to introduce a system at the warehouse that would actually help keep everything in a neat order, Violet knows what I mean.”

“I do, the system is great and so neat. I honestly can’t comprehend why everyone doesn’t use it, it makes everything so much easier.”

“Thank you, Violet! So there was this girl. Ugh, she was pissing me off so much! Most of the designers didn’t stick to the system and kept messing up, but this girl”, Shane threw Betty a pointed look, to which she rolled her eyes, “this girl literally came to my desk one day and flat out told me the system is stupid and she refuses to obey it.”

Sutan laughed, the story Shane had just told fitting perfectly with the rants Raja had gone on about Betty and her regard for the system.

“He didn’t know what to say. The first and the last time I saw him at a loss for words, probably”, interjected Betty.

“You weren’t making it easy, okay? I was very mad at you, but you looked extra cute that day.”

These words made Betty lean her head on Shane’s arm, letting him tell the rest of the story.

“So the other day, maybe a week later, I don’t know, I’m still fucking angry because nobody sticks to the system, but hey, I’m enjoying my new job anyway, so I go down to the warehouse to think for a while about how to make things easier or whatever, and there’s Elizabeth,  _deliberately_  messing up!”

“What? Really? What was she doing?!”

“She was moving labels on boxes, mixing up beads, a real chaotic evil in action. Can you believe it?”

“He caught me by the arm and started yelling at me.”

Sutan was looking at both of them, a huge smile on his face as he listened.

“I knew she was deliberately trying to fuck with me, I was sure of that for the last few days, but for a while I had no idea why she was doing that. So I kept yelling, how she’s being difficult and irresponsible and turning my first month at work into hell and what have you, and then she bursts into laughter!”

“No, no, Shane, you’re telling it all wrong. I actually started laughing because he said ‘you know what I mean?’ in such a weird, specific way, and I just couldn’t hold it in anymore! So I laughed, and Shane stopped yelling, and I had tears in my eyes from all the laughter and he was just standing there, rolling a pencil between his fingers, looking like a silly cute nerd, and he said, ‘do you wanna go out for dinner tomorrow?”’ Betty sipped on her drink, looking up at Shane, who was grinning at her.

Violet shrieked, the sound turning into a laugh when she realised what she had just done.

“What happened then? Please! Tell us!”

“So we went to that dinner”, said Shane to Sutan and Violet, “and it’s been five years since.”

“And you said it was pretty boring? It was anything but! It was amazing! The only thing the story needed is like… a dragon, to be the ultimate love story!” Violet’s voice was high and shaky, her hand grabbing the tabletop tightly.

Betty could only smile, fondly remembering her first date with Shane and everything that followed after.

“Told you it wasn’t that bad”, Shane whispered to her, wrapping an arm around her. “Let’s drink to the fortunate circumstances that allowed us all to meet each other, and let’s drink for more people from work coming to my shows. Everybody empty their glass.”

’'By the way, Shane, can I buy your music somewhere? I bet my sister would love to listen to you guys, it’s totally her style”, said Sutan as he finished his drink.

“Oh, sorry, but we don’t really have anything recorded. Just some amateur videos on youtube. Recording studios are too expensive.”

“Are you kidding me? You guys are great! I’m gonna talk to a label guy I know, just leave me your number, alright? I’ll have him call you.”

“Ah, man, you really don’t have to!”

“I have to! The world deserves to know about Bach Street Boys, the secret treasure of Brooklyn jazz.” Sutan passed his phone so Shane could type in his number.

“Thanks, Sutan, you’re the best!”

***

“Alright, guys, I’m going for another smoke.”

“I’ll come with you.” Shane stood up, checking if he could get away with at least one smoke, but Betty quickly pulled on his sleeve. As always, she was making sure he doesn’t fall into the old habit, even in her drunken state.

“Shane! Stay here. Please.”

“Whipped into shape by the misses?” Sutan smiled and made a whip gesture with his hand as he walked away. He was clearly teasing, a cigarette of his own resting in the corner of his mouth, his lighter already out. Violet rolled her eyes again, slightly annoyed at the fact that Sutan was making fun of Shane for having quit smoking, the fact that she had emptied her fair share of drinks making it nearly impossible for her to keep her emotions in check.

“Careful with the eyerolls, Violet, you’re giving me competition.”

“Like anybody could give you competition in the eyerolling department, Betty. I wouldn’t even dare.”

“You’re right, I reign, unthreatened. Let’s do shots now!”

“Ohhhh, that’s a great idea!” Shane stood up, patting his pockets in search of money until he noticed the change laying on the table from their previous round, Sutan not having taken it back. “Dibs!” Shane counted the money quickly, deciding there was more than enough for a round. “What do you want, V? Kamikazes for everybody?” Shane didn’t even wait for an answered before he stood up. “Glad we agree! A tray of kamikazes are coming right up.”

Shane disappeared in the crowd of people that filled the small bar, Violet and Betty finishing up their last round.

Suddenly, Violet felt something icy cold creeping down her neck and she screeched in fear, the alcohol making her freak as she jumped out of her chair only to hear a laugh as Sutan removed his hand from her neck, an arm wrapping around her waist.

“Easy, lovely eyes, easy. It’s just me.” Sutan pressed a kiss into Violet’s neck.

“Ugh! You’re so cold! How could you?”

“I’m sorry.” Sutan sat down, Violet quickly cuddling into his side, her head resting on his shoulder, their little fight already forgotten.

“Alright everybody, I know you’re all various levels of drunk, but please focus your attention on me for a second, because I brought shots!” announced Shane, putting a small tray of shot glasses filled with blue liquor on the table. A cheer ran around, everybody grabbing a glass of their own.

“Thanks for inviting us toniiiiight, Shaaaaaane!” Violet raised her glass, spilling half of it on the table. “Whoops”, she giggled, grabbing a bunch of napkins to sloppily dry up.

“Violet, how are you this drunk on a couple vodka sodas?” Sutan turned Violet’s head a little, his arm over her shoulder so he could easily use her jaw to move her, the two getting eye contact.

“Idontknow…”

“Oh, they make every drink a double unless you ask them not to. It’s shitty import stuff, but it takes you down fast”, said Betty, trying to hold in a laugh.

“They’re doubles?” Sutan looked up, now understanding why Violet was this far gone already. “Why didn’t you tell me? I’ve been buying her drinks for hours and she weighs like ten pounds.” Sutan was not amused. “Baby, you have to be fucking wasted. Do you want to go home?”

“No! No! It’s okay! I’m okay! See? I’m totally in control! I can drink this one too.” Violet poured another drink down her throat, Sutan looking at her with concern, Betty simply peeking through her fingers. “No, you know what, I need to go to the bathroom. Betty, can you…?”

“Sure.” Betty jumped off her chair to aid the other girl, leading her through the crowd to the tiny bathroom in the back of the bar. Violet locked herself in a stall, Betty using the moment to touch up on her make-up.

“Hey Betty…”, came Violet’s voice through the locked door.

“What’s up?”

“I… You know… This is gonna sound weird, but I wanna, like – thank you for breaking my leg.”

Betty could hear the toilet flush and Violet came out, awkwardly shuffling to the sink, only supporting herself on one crutch, trying not to touch anything with her right hand as Betty reached over to turn on the water.

“Thank me? Seriously?”

“Yes! You breaking my leg taught me how to suck dick.”

“What the fuck are you talking about?”

Betty stared at Violet like she was insane, the girl giggling.

“Oh my God, I’m sorry, I’m sorry! It’s not like that, I mean, more like a byproduct! Sutan is – he’s – he has… more experience than me, in a lot of ways, and, well, I tried to – ” Violet suddenly grew shy, looking down as she turned off the water. “Back in September, and I… I choked, and I was so embarrassed I thought I would die and I swore I’d never do it again, but – this thing…”

Betty watched the younger girl spit out words without any filter whatsoever, so completely different from how Violet normally was at work. Betty kept quiet though, thinking that the right thing might be to stop Violet, but she decided not to. Maybe this was what the girl needed.

“I mean, I did it last week and it – it was really good, and I just… I would have never done that if you haven’t pushed me. Mentally, I mean.” Violet laughed when she realized she had made a pun. “So thank you, or whatever.”

“That’s – that must be the weirdest ‘thank you’ I have ever received.” Betty reached to remove a lock of hair from Violet’s forehead, tucking it behind her ear, the tenderness of the moment feeling right somehow.

“It beats that old lady thanking me for accidentally running over her cat with Shane’s car. You’re welcome, I guess? I’m glad I could contribute to your sex life.”

Without saying a word, Violet hobbled forward, surrounding Betty with her arms in a hug that took Betty completely by surprise. She could do nothing but pat the other girl’s back, enjoying the complete and utter acceptance and love that she felt from the younger girl. “Okay, alright. Enough with the cuteness. Let’s go drink some more.”

***

“Do you know what I want?” Violet was draped over Sutan. It was getting really late, the tiredness slowly creeping up on everybody as the bar emptied out.

“What do you want, baby?” Sutan looked down at Violet, his hand slowly petting her arm.

“A pineapple pizza.”

“Oh God, that sounds amazing. I know the best place ever in Harlem, it’s open all night.” Shane was out of his chair already, picking up his violin case and ready to go. His bandmates had joined them by the table for a drink sometime during the night, dropping off Shane’s stuff, but they had left since.

“Can we go, please? I think I’ll die if I don’t get a slice.”

“Sure! I’ll go get us a taxi.”

Sutan had to half-carry Violet to a cab, but if his girl wanted a pineapple pizza, a pineapple pizza she was going to get, and Harlem was almost on the way home… Almost.

***

It was AM already when Shane, Betty and the violin were in a cab home. Shane felt only a little dizzy, the pizza they ate definitely having helped. Meanwhile, Betty was falling asleep in his arms, eyes closing, her body completely loosened up, face hidden in Shane’s neck.

“I’m so proud of you, baby.”

“What? Why?” she raised her head slightly, eyes looking for Shane’s.

“You’ve made friends today.”

“Pfff, please.”

“No, seriously! Did you have a good time? I had a great time. Violet and Sutan seemed to have a great time, too. Wasn’t it so cool of them to come? Literally no one from work ever does, you know that! And considering that Violet was your mortal enemy just moments ago, I am both surprised and fucking delighted! You know?”

“I - what was the first question? You’re talking too fast.”

“I don’t remember. Doesn’t matter. We’ve made friends, I’m proud of you and I love you.” He ran a gentle hand across Betty’s cheek, watching her lean into the touch.

“Does it mean we can make out now?”

“Obviously”, he giggled, leaning in.

***

“Are you comfortable, baby?”

“Mmh…”

Violet smiled, happy and warm and safe in bed, the sheets smelling nice and fresh since the housekeeper had just changed them.

“Cuddle with me?” Violet looked up at her boyfriend, a sigh of delight leaving her when she felt Sutan’s chest against her back, his arm around her waist.

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”

***  
  
“Good moooooooooorniiiiing!” Trixie smiled when Shane, Betty and Violet groaned, all three wearing sunglasses, even though it was still dark and grey outside. All three had woken up with major headaches on different sides of New York, and even though Violet had made it into work without help, she had texted Trixie, desperately asking him if he could please please please bring in coffees for them since she wasn’t able to carry anything she couldn’t place in her bag.

The rest of design department were bright and chipper, everyone chatting and catching up, happily discussing what they had done the night before, since none of them had been dumb enough to go out and get slammed on a weekday. Violet could hear everything, her brain almost feeling liquified as Manila told how she had had eaten dinner with her cousin Karl, how Alexis had been ice skating with her military boyfriend, while April excitedly chatted to Gia about her new manicure and the hat she bought.

“Here you goooooooo! A caramel frappe of Shaaaaane, a double espresso for sweet Betty Boop” Trixie danced across the room, Shane and Betty accepting their coffees with silent gratitude, Betty not even snapping at Trixie for the nickname. “Aaaand soy milk latte for Violet ‘drunk dial’ Chachki.”

“Oh God, Trixie, please, don’t do this to me. I’m a good employee, I don’t deserve this.” Violet received a kiss on the forehead and a clap on the cheek, which made her groan.

“I know you don’t.” Trixie smiled brightly, clearly enjoying the fact that all of them were suffering. “But it’s too much fun not to! By the way Violet, you’re off cake duty for the rest of the year.” Trixie lowered his voice to a whisper. “Thank you for taking a bullet for the team.”

“You guys don’t know what you’re missing. Shane’s band is really good, it’s great actually… You should all come next time. I’m sure Katya would like it.”

“Yeah, sure, whatever. How much did Shane pay you to say that?” Trixie winked at Violet, and before the girl could open her mouth to argue, he was already gone.

***

“Okay, I gotta run. Bye, bonbon.” Pearl Liaison and her shortie girlfriend with bright blue hair, whose name Willam forgot, were making out for like five minutes already, their right hands busy with cups of Starbucks coffee. Willam watched them from where he waited in front of Galactica building, his first day of work about to start.

“Bye, bitch. Come over tonight?” The girl placed her palm in Pearl’s back pocket, Pearl staring at her like she put all the stars in the sky.

“You bet.”

The girl squeezed Pearl’s ass as a goodbye and walked away, Pearl looking after her for a while before Willam decided to speak up. His day was already ruined, the disgusting display of affection he just witnessed only adding to his sour mood.

“Aww, you and the little chubster are so cute together I could vomit.”

“Shut the fuck up, Willam. Don’t make me regret offering you this job.”

“No, seriously. The world of fashion is your oyster and this is the girl you’re so whipped for? Goddamn it, Liaison.”

Pearl quickly grabbed Willam by the collar of his jacket, gritting her teeth in anger, slamming him against the building wall with raw, unexpected force. “If you say anything bad or mean or stupid about my girlfriend ever again, I’ll slam your head against your desk so hard your fucking bleached highlights are gonna fall out, understood, jerk?”

“Okay, okay. Jesus, Pearl. Can’t you take a joke anymore?”

“You don’t get to joke about Laila.”

After Pearl let go of him, Willam hesitated on the treshold of the building. Galactica, his demise, was about to become his saving grace now, and there was no way Willam’s life could get more ironic, or more absurd. He walked in after Pearl, the whiteness of the walls and the familiar smell making him feel uneasy. Pearl nodded at the girl at the reception desk and pressed the elevator button.

“Anyway, welcome to Galactica. I’ll show you the department, come on.”

It was going to be a long day.

***

Violet had tried working on a pair of pants all morning, but whenever she tried to focus on anything, her eyes watered behind her sunglasses, her stomach churning if she moved too fast. She had no idea why she had dunked those last four shots, but she hated herself for it all the same.

“Hey kiddo, how’re you holding up? Everything okay? Are we going to lunch?” Betty’s voice made Violet startle in surprise, a wince leaving her as she accidentally moved her leg too quickly.

“I’m - actually, I can’t. I think I’ll fall right on my face if I try getting up, so no, thank you.”

“Well, I’m going anyway, so I can bring something for you. What do you want?”

“Can I just get some whole grain bread and maybe some broccoli with vinegar? I’m not sure my stomach can take anything else right now…”

“Coming right up.”

“Thank you. I really appreciate it, do you need any mone-”

“Stop, come on, it’s nothing.” Betty left to the cafeteria, Violet concentrating on her work again to pass the time before the other woman came back, but she ended up checking her phone instead, sending a text off to Sutan followed by one to Max, nicely asking him if he had time to help her come home from work today. Violet didn’t really like depending on others, but her leg forced her to. Max had already texted her back, a smiley and a thumbs up his only answer to her question, and Violet couldn’t help but smile. Her roommates were really the best in the world.

“There you go, miss Low Calorie. Enjoy.” Betty pulled up a chair and sat down by Violet’s desk, opening up her own salad container, the two girls falling into a comfortable routine of eating together, neither of them saying much.

“Hey, about yesterday…” Violet picked at her food, slowly taking a bite of a piece of broccoli before she put it down again. “I’m sorry if I got weird at some point… I’m not… Sutan calls me roulette drunk because you have no idea what you’ll get until I’m actually hammered.”

“Well, you are two pounds soaking wet, so it’s not too weird that you got a little freaky. They’re serving Queens’ finest bathtub vodka at TNT, true story.”

“Oh God, shut up.” Violet smiled, knowing by the other’s smile that Betty was teasing her. “But seriously. Did I say anything inappropriate to you? Did I say something to Shane?”

“Well, you offered us both some sexual favors in the bathroom, but we respectfully declined.”

Violet’s eyes grew wide as she was unsure if Betty was being sarcastic or not, until the other woman sent her a devilish grin.

“Holy fuck, Violet, you’re so gullible. How are you still alive in this business?”

“I’m not gullible, you’re just straight-up evil! And damn, I’m going out with Raven tonight, and I’m already regretting it. All I want to do right now is watch re-runs of Project Runway. Ooow.” Violet dropped her fork, the loud sound of the metal making her grab her temples, curling in on herself at the pain in her head. “Fuck…”

Betty laughed. ’'Did you actually just swear in front of me? While you’re sober?”

“Shut up, I’m feeling very vulnerable right now.”

“Anyway, do you still want to watch the new season of Project Runway together? We can do it at mine and Shane’s place.” Betty looked up from her salad.

“Really?” Violet smiled, looking at Betty, trying to figure out if she was serious. “I’d love that.”

“It’s a date then.”

“Thanks…”

***

“Trixie! Trixie!”

The apartment door slammed, making Pearl curl her legs and hold tighter to her cup of coffee. The sound of heavy shoes echoed through the hallway and Trixie’s sister barged into the living room, all excited, her hair a wild mess, stopping in front of the couch where Pearl was resting after a long day at work, waiting for Laila’s shift to end.

“Where’s Brian?”

Pearl almost wanted to ask who the fuck Brian is, until she remembered that Trannika sometimes stupidly insisted on calling Trixie by his birth name.

“He’s – the fuck if I know? Probably at work.”

“I’m calling him. I’ve made news!” Trannika dropped a slightly wet New York Times issue on Pearl’s lap. Who even bought regular newspapers anymore? Only old people. Trixie’s sister was weird and Pearl didn’t even try pretending that she liked her; the girl once threw a shit fit when Pearl tried to leave the house in a fur coat. /I hate everything you choose to be/, she told Pearl then. Well, the feeling was mutual.

Pearl looked at the front page of the newspaper. “Uhm, Trannika? That old politician doesn’t look like you. Although, maybe the nose – ”

“Page eighteen, you tool.” Trannika was already on the phone, probably trying to reach Trixie.

Pearl turned to page eighteen and there she was, Trixie’s crazy sister in all her glory, looking like a proper homeless person, sitting on the pavement beneath a hand-painted banner that said STOP KILLING TREES.

“Well, that’s not the most creative banner I’ve seen in my life, but – congratulations? I guess?”

“Do you think I need your approval?” Trannika grabbed the paper, frowning at Pearl angrily. “Trixie! Finally, you picked up. I’m in the New York Times!”

Pearl curled up into a ball, trying and failing to stop Trannika’s voice from reaching her ears.

***

“Drink, drink, drink, drink, drink, drink, drink, drink…YEAH!!!!” The girls cheered as Adore finished her drink and slammed the empty glass down on the table.

Adore laughed, wiping her mouth, feeling better than she had in a long time.

She looked back at the others. Originally, when Courtney had introduced her to these girls years ago as “my sorority sisters,” she was picturing stuck-up, prissy little spoiled brats, who would judge her and never accept her - the punk rock lesbian who walked around in bare feet and no bra most of the time.

She was pleasantly surprised when they ended up being fun, and mostly turned their Mean Girls Judgement on others, or each other. Somehow Adore became the untouchable and beloved mascot of the group, the cool, alternative one who gave them all street cred. Tyra loved her because they were both from the South, both from big families and both non-white girls with light eyes who didn’t really feel like they belonged anywhere. Tati enjoyed doing shots with her and wreaking havoc (and was good for a sloppy drunken makeout session at least a few times a year) and Morgan - well, Morgan was kind of a cunt, but Morgan was kind of cunt to everyone. It was part of her charm, and, as she explained it, part of her Scottish heritage. She’d bonded immediately with Courtney their freshman year over how soft and prim Americans were, after Courtney’s roommate urged her to wear pajamas instead of sleeping naked like she always had.

Adore turned to Courtney, who absentmindedly stirred her drink with a straw, staring into space. “I think Courtney needs to chug next,” she laughed, bumping her with a hip.

“How about not?” Courtney avoided eye contact and took a tiny sip, her shoulders sagging. It wasn’t Adore’s fault, but her lips were distractingly similar to her big sister’s and Courtney couldn’t look at her.

“What’s with you?” Morgan asked, flipping her strawberry-blonde hair over her shoulder. “You’ve been acting like a cranky bitch all night. Lighten up.” She crumbled a cocktail napkin and threw it at Courtney’s face.

“Leave me alone, you freckle-faced cunt.”

“Fuck you, asshole midget.”

Courtney finally gave a small laugh, but still seemed to be sad. Adore felt bad, and knew it wasn’t fair, but she just kept wishing that Courtney would snap out of it. She was finally feeling better after the whole mess with Pearl, and really needed her bestie, her ride-or-die partner in crime, to be up for some fun. At least she was out, though. The last few times they’d gone out, she’d begged off. She wasn’t feeling well. She was tired. She had to work. “At 11 PM on a Saturday?” Adore had challenged, to which Courtney just sighed and said, “You wouldn’t understand.”

Adore laced her fingers through Courtney’s and nuzzled her cheek. “Babyyy, let’s go dance. Will you dance?”

Courtney turned towards her, standing up on her tiptoes to kiss her forehead. “Sure. Let’s go.”

“Hallelujah,” Tyra said snidely, causing the others to giggle.

They trooped out to the dance floor, hips swinging, ignoring every boy who ogled them to grind against each other to the heavy bass. Soon, it almost seemed like Courtney was her old self. They danced and danced, letting all of their troubles fall to the wayside.

At one point, a tall, striking girl who’d been dancing with a group beside them (and who Adore was lowkey in love with when she bought them all two rounds of shots) stomped her foot. “But I don’t WANNA leave! It’s not even 1 AM yet!”

Adore put a hand on her shoulder. “Hey, dude, fuck them, come hang with us.”

“Really?” the girl asked, thrilled.

“Sure.” Adore smiled at her.

Courtney looked up at her. She was tall and beautiful, but there was something about her face… “How old are you?” Courtney asked.

“My ID says 21,” she grinned. “I’m Naomi, by the way.”

“Hey Naomi, how old does your birth certificate say you are?”

“17,” she admitted, “…but I’ll be 18 in three months! So I’m basically an adult, I make my own money and everything.“

Courtney blanched. “Well, you can hang with us, but text me your address now so that I can make sure you get home safely.”

Naomi rolled her eyes and pulled out her phone. “Okay, Mom, calm down, geeze.” The smile on Naomi’s lips betrayed her though, as she clearly loved the attention.

A gogo dancer walked by with the tray of shots again, and Tati whipped out a credit card. “This round is on me, bitches! Six please!” she handed over her card.

Courtney pointed at Naomi, saying, “You drink some water first.”

Naomi rolled her eyes and turned towards the bar.

Adore’s eyes lit up at something across the room and she said “Make it 8!”, then cupped her hands around her mouth and yelled, “VIOLET!”

Violet’s head turned slightly. She and Raven were standing at a tall table, having what Raven described as a “no grownups allowed” night. Raven was already fairly intoxicated and Violet didn’t feel far behind, though she was holding off on her drinks. She squinted in the direction of the voice and made out a blurry Adore Delano, waving at her excitedly. She waved back at the blue-haired girl.

Adore strode forward, marching up to their table. “I haven’t seen you in ages, bitch! Where have you been?”

“Mostly working,” Violet laughed, happy that Adore was talking to her even after Pearl had dumped her for Laila. Violet and Adore exchanged air kisses, Violet moving a little so Adore could scooch in at their table. “I like your lipstick, where did you get it?”

“It’s Mac!”

“Really? I didn’t realize, Rave, do you think we should maybe get ho–” Violet was cut off by Adore.

“Booooo, boring! Come dance with us. Bring your friend.” Adore winked at Raven. “Hi, I’m Adore. Has anyone ever told you that you look just like that supermodel, Raven?”

Raven laughed. “Yeah, all the fuckin time.”

Violet gestured to her crutches. “Uh, Adore, I can’t dance right now. Sorry. Tell Courtney I said hi though.”

Adore pouted. “Pleeeeease! You can still move your hips, bitch!”

“Yes, you can!” Raven smiled brightly, forcing an unsteady Violet to leave behind her stuff. Raven helped Adore drag Violet onto the dance floor, where Tati and Tyra handed them shots.

“Who’s this crippled whore?” asked Morgan.

Raven bristled, ready to defend Violet. “Fuck you, dumb skank, I will–”

“Rave, Rave,” Violet interrupted, “She was kidding around. Right?”

“Yes, she was definitely kidding! Morgan, tell them you were kidding,” Courtney prompted.

Morgan shrugged, eyes glittering.

“Morgan!”

“I was kidding. I have no idea if the cripple is a whore or not.”

Raven narrowed her eyes at her, and then after a beat, they both burst out laughing. “I like you,” Raven slurred, throwing an arm around Morgan’s shoulders. She turned back to Adore and Violet, holding up her shot glass. “Let’s fuckin toast.”

“To no more broken bones!” Adore cried.

“To drinking hot cocoa by the fire!” said Raven, winking at Violet.

“To the spring line!” Violet said, and then all three of them downed their shots.

“Raven!” Naomi returned from the bar with her Courtney-ordered bottle of water, face lit up with delight.

“Lil Bear! Omigod, what the fuck are you doing here, aren’t you twelve?”

“Not tonight!” Naomi took the last shot glass and raised it, downing it in one gulp.

The rest of the night flew by in a blur. There was dancing, sweating, shots, lights, pounding bass, more shots…eventually Raven was draped over a booth with her head in Violet’s lap, across from Courtney, who still looked unhappily sober, and Adore, who had some girl named Tatianna in her lap. “Why’s the room spinning?” asked Raven, and Violet giggled.

“I don’t know,” she admitted.

“Imma call Raja to come get us,” Raven told her.

“Good plan.”

Twenty minutes later, both Raja and Sutan came strolling into the club. Raja put her hands on her hips and shook her head, clucking. “You kids today… No stamina whatsoever. When I was your age, we stayed out all night.”

“Good for you,” Raven mumbled.

She helped Raven up, laughing, and Sutan lifted Violet into his arms, though she protested, still holding onto her crutches.

Naomi missed the group completely, having gone to the toilet but when she came back, she realized that Sutan had probably come to pick someone up. Could it be that… No… Could it? Raven and Sutan where close, really close, she had seen it herself, and then she realizing that the brunette model she’d been partying with was Sutan’s carrot juice-drinking girlfriend. That had to be it. How could she have been so stupid.

Naomi slid into the booth next to Courtney, head resting dejectedly on her arms.

“Tell me about it,” Courtney agreed, placing a soothing hand on her back. She’d made an effort tonight, she really had. But somehow even Adore’s infectious enthusiasm wasn’t enough to lift her out of the fog she was in, all the time lately. She was so crushingly busy at work that sometimes she felt like she didn’t have time to breathe. She’d assumed that after a month or so, things would get easier - Violet had made it look so effortless - but in reality it was as if new responsibilities were being added faster than ever. She felt like she was drowning, like she was being ripped apart at the seams. And then there was Bianca. She couldn’t even let herself think about that, because the whole situation was just so confusing to her. She knew that she’d probably ruined her chances, the same way she always did. Her stomach twisted into knots thinking about it.

Naomi sighed. “I think I should get out of here,” she slurred, eyelids heavy.

“I’ll drop you off,” Courtney said gently.

“Mmmmkay.” Naomi leaned on Courtney’s shoulder as they made their way out of the club.

“I love you, Mom,” she said, and Courtney laughed dryly, shaking her head, wondering how and when she became the responsible one in the group.

 


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 19

“That was a great season!” Violet said as she stretched in her spot on the couch. She had woken up that morning in Sutan’s bed, a note on the bedside table with a bottle of water and some aspirins telling him he had gone to work, and that he had called Trixie to tell him that Violet would be taking a sick day.

Raven had shown up with breakfast, surprising Violet who still had not gotten out of bed and now they were watching the second season of Sex and the City, Raven entertaining with her own brand of rolling commentary and shade. Violet did feel a little bad about the fact that she had essentially lied about why she was not at work, but on the other hand, her leg was broken too. Violet had texted Trixie to check if it really was okay, and all he had sent back was a smiley.

Raven looked over to Violet with a big smile. She was so happy that she was able to enjoy one of her favorite shows with her friend.

“I’m so glad you’re enjoying yourself!” Raven sang, leaning back into the couch when she saw Violet trying to move her leg off the pillow it was resting on.

“I am, very much.” Violet swung her other leg over so she was sitting on the side of the couch. “Do you mind taking a quick break so I can go to the bathroom?” She asked as she stood up.

“Sure!” Started Raven as she stood up and stretched as well, hearing her joints pop. “I have to do a quick run to my place anyway.”

“No need to rush, fast is not a word anyone would use to describe me right now.” Violet laughed, getting her crutches before she made her way. “It takes me a little while to get there and back.” She said with a small laugh as she started moving towards the nearest bathroom.

“I’ll be back before you know it!”

***

“Violet?” Called Raven, tiptoeing back into Sutan’s condo, shopping bags in tow.

“I’ll be out in a minute!”

Raven was hurrying to finish putting their dirty dishes in the dishwasher and make it back to the couch to act as normal as possible before Violet rounded the corner from the bathroom.

‘Act cool bitch, act cool.’ Raven thought to herself as she heard the soft telltale thuds from Violet’s cast hitting the floor. “I’m about to start season 3, Vi!” She called out, trying to hide her excitement as Violet rounded the corner.

“Awesome, I can’t…” Violet started before she stopped at the sight of the shopping bags that were sitting innocently in front of the couch. “What’s going on? Where did all of this come from?”

“Well,” started Raven as she stood up with a smile. “I wanted to get you a few things to help you out, now that your leg is broken.” She finished as she switched positions with Violet, helping her sit down on the couch and handing her one of the bags.

“Raven…” Violet said as she looked down at the bag in her hands. “You didn’t have to do this for me, are you… Are you sure?”

“I don’t have to do anything.” Raven started as she sat down beside Violet. “I wanted to do this. You helped me in Paris, so now this is my turn to help you.” She stated as if it was to simplest thing in the world. “Stop trying to delay the moment, I’m not going to start the show until all the gifts have been opened.” Raven said as she watched Violet start taking black tissue paper out of a black shopping bag with shaking hands.

“Wow… Raven, I… Thank you!” Violet pulled out a pair of grey knit mittens trimmed with black rabbit fur. “They're… They’re really beautiful… “ Violet smiled, her eyes misty, overwhelmed at the gifts.

“No problem! I figured that you would need a new set of gloves, especially with the crutches.” Raven started as she handed her a larger white bag. “You gotta protect your hands, since you can’t keep your hands in your pockets to protect from the bitter cold.”

“That’s really thoughtful, thank you…” Violet started as she pulled out the long box out of the shopping bag. “Are you serious, Raven, there’s more?” Violet asked, disbelief on her face as she looked over to the grinning woman.

“Yeah, well, I know you can’t wear your heels the way you want because of your cast.” Raven began, pawing at her hair. “So I decided that boots would be the next best thing!” She said, watching Violet take one of the black leather shark lock wedge boots out of the box to get a closer look at it. Violet was trying to keep it together, her breathing slow and calculated as she tried not to cry.

“Raven…do you know how expensive these boots are? I mean… I’m.. I’m so greatful but…  It’s not my birthday and… I…” Violet’s hands were shaking. She had looked at the boots once when they had all been out, but in the end she had opted not to get them. Even though Sutan would have happily given them to her, Violet felt too weird asking, the satisfaction she felt herself whenever she finally bought something or found it in a second hand store a huge part of the joy of shopping for her.

“Well, they weren’t that expensive to be honest.” Raven said with a smile. “I had a gift card so I didn’t have to pay the full price out of pocket if it helps you feel better.”

“Thank you so much….” Violet gave Raven a hug, holding the other woman close.

“Okay, let’s get through this last bag before we start the waterworks up again.” Raven said with a laugh. “Here.” She handed the red and gold box to Violet.

“This is kind of a tradition we, Raja, Sutan and I have.” She started as she saw Violet open the box and close it, looking at her with bright eyes. “We give gifts and usually a small jewelry piece that is reflective of the future wearer whether it be the color of their eyes, their favorite color or something along those lines. So I wanted to give you something, and since you’re name is Violet, I figured it’d be appropriate to get you something in the same color range.”

Violet was so overwhelmed; every gift Raven gave her was so thoughtful and came from a place of real honesty and love, but the delicate silver and amethyst necklace Raven gave her was just too much. “I don’t know what to say…”

“You don’t like it?” Raven asked, alarmed that she messed up. “I can take it back and get something different because it’s not a problem.” She said nervously.

“NO!” Violet said suddenly, startling the both of them at her sudden outburst.

“No, I… I just can’t believe you took the time to do all of this for me. I’ve never gotten so many beautiful things from someone who just… I’ve never… You didn’t have to, and you still give out of the kindness of your heart. I am so thankful.” She whispered pulling the taller woman in a tight hug. “Thank you so, so much, Raven.”

“It’s no problem, Violet.” She said as she held her friend close, over the moon that she made her best friend happy. “Do you want to put it on?”

“I’d love that…”

Raven laughed as she took the necklace out of the box while Violet turned around a little so Raven could fasten it easily.

“Oh, it looks perfect on you, lovey!” Raven sang happily. “Damn, I have great taste!” She said as she bounced her shoulders excitedly.

All Violet could do was laugh at Raven’s outward display of happiness. Who would have thought that she would be here, in an exclusive SoHo condo, spending the day with a Russian supermodel watching Sex and the City. The gifts where beyond amazing and completely overwhelming. It wasn’t about the money spent that had Violet so moved, but the fact that Raven took the time out to find her things that would help make her life easier, especially with her leg being broken.

“Raven, I… “ Violet started turning to look at Raven taking her tanned hands in her paler ones. "You went out of your time to give me all of these… These wonderful gifts… I’m so happy about the thought and effort you put into every gift. How can I ever repay you?”

"All I want is your friendship and loyalty.” Raven said with a smile.

“Have you ever doubted it?”

***

The syrupy voice of a lounge singer crooned from the speaker, serenading the small, intimate group with Christmas music as they mingled in Fame’s large living room. A few waiters weaved throughout the room, holding trays of hors d'oeuvres and holiday-themed cocktails.

Raja and Raven stood by the tree, which was decorated all in white with a few touches of silver. Raja kissed Raven’s cheekbone, murmuring to her fiancée about how beautiful she looked in the candlelight. Raven sipped champagne and relished in her undivided attention, which was almost unheard of for a weeknight, especially during the holiday season.

Patrick poured shots of peppermint schnapps for himself, Sutan and Bianca at the bar, all of them laughing as she told him a story of their last photoshoot, and the logistical nightmare of dressing up huge drooling shelter dogs like reindeer.

“It seemed real fucking cute in my head,” she admitted, “But in execution it was the actual worst. I mean bless those animals but holy fuck, was that the longest day of my goddamn life.”

“Could’ve been worse,” Patrick said.

“How?”

“You could’ve used babies as elves.” Sutan smiled, taking a sip of his drink. “That would have been hilariously bad.”

An ear-splitting shriek tore through the room as Owen cried out for his parents, beside himself over his twin sister stealing his shiny new toy truck, a gift from “East Side Santa,” Fame’s excuse to spoil the kids rotten with gifts every year prior to their own Christmas on the westside. Adore, who was with them on the carpet, her shoes long since tossed aside, held up her hands. “Wasn’t me!” she said.

Patrick raised his eyebrows at Bianca. “Thank god for birth controle and lesbianism, huh?”

Bianca cackled and downed her shot.

Detox scooped Owen up off the floor, Adore quickly bringing Julia to Juju while Detox carried Owen over to the bar, joining the adults while he whispered sweet and quiet words of comfort.

“Hey slugger,” Bianca said to him. “Wow, you’re getting so big… You driving yet?”

Owen hid his face, rubbing his tear-stained cheeks on his Daddy’s shirt, Detox not caring that Owen was ruining the fabric.

“No? Okay, cool. Good talk. Let’s do it again in a year or so.” Bianca downed her shot and winked at Detox. “Nice to see that the little monsters are still running the show.”

Detox laughed. “You know it!” He sipped a glass of cider, resting a cheek against Owen’s head, kissing his son’s head now that the child had calmed down.

With both playmates gone, Adore had gotten up from the floor and downed a peppermint martini. She tailed the waiter, snatching some mushroom truffle flatbread and two crab cakes. Karl shook his head at her, sipping his vodka soda.

“You know, that was funny when you were twelve. It might be time to start paying a little attention to your diet.”

“It’s the holidays,” Adore said, mouth full.

“I mean, you don’t /have/ to listen to me, but when you’re fat I will have no sympathy.”

“Yeah well, you’re a douchebag.”

“True. Merry Christmas,” he said, clinking glasses with her.

“I just love you fashion people,” Adore sighed. “You never fail to fat shame me.”

“Would you expect anything less, Adore?” Karl asked as he put his arm over her shoulder. “For the rest of the world, you’re a normal shape, a little chubby perhaps, but in the world of fashion, you just don’t cut it, and as a Del Rio sibling you’re in the spotlight, but I guess you never cared about any of that nonsense.” He continued as he waved over a waiter. “It’s that’s what make you adorable.”

Adore made a face at him. “You are such a condescending prick.”

“True, but that’s what makes me adorable…right?”

“If you say so, bro.” Adore fluttered her eyelashes up at him. “But here’s the thing…I can lose weight. But you can’t ever be young again.”

Karl frowned and Adore laughed, a self-satisfied smirk on her face. She blew him a kiss and skipped away.

Jujubee sat on one of the sofas, Violet by her side, the girl also forced to sit down because of her leg. Juju’s feet were up on an ottoman, her belly lookin like she was about to pop, when Fame came over with a small tray of drinks with virgin eggnogs for everyone. Violet, who had been braiding Julia’s hair, gently released the child, letting her run over to the bar to reach out for her twin to play with since Fame was coming to sit.

“How are you feeling, Juju?” Fame asked, rubbing her shoulders, careful not to jostle anyone as she sat down.

“Like a cow,” Jujubee complained. “Thank God this is the last one.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Oh, we discussed this after the twins. If that jerk knocked me up again, I was gonna make him get a vasectomy.”

Bianca punched Detox on the arm. “De, you’re getting snipped?”

“What do you mean GETTING?” Juju asked, giggling.

“You do what you have to do for love, however unexpected it turned out to be.”

“He had the procedure a few weeks after I found out I was pregnant. Done deal.”

“So you had Dede neutered.” Raven said with a grin as she walked over to the seated group after overhearing their conversation.

Jujubee couldn’t help but laugh at Raven’s statement, and though it was true, it was so Raven to put it as indelicately as possible. “Rave, he’s not a dog.”

Adore galloped around the room with Julia on her back. The toddler held onto her hair and shrieked with laughter.

“Adore, knock it off, you’re getting her all riled up. Do you want me to stop bringing you around here?” Bianca complained.

Adore rolled her eyes. “I’m guessing my days as your plus one are numbered anyway. Soon you’ll be taking your new giiiiirlfriend,” she teased.

“Fuck you, cunt,” said Bianca.

“B! There are CHILDREN here!” Fame exclaimed.

Bianca scoffed. “Stop clutching your pearls, bitch. The kids are fine. Besides, Detox is their father, I’m not saying anything they haven’t heard before.”

“Still. It was cute in your twenties, but now–”

“Hang on, can we go back to your new girlfriend? I haven’t heard of any conquest since the chick in Paris. Is there something you’re not telling us, B?” Raja leaned in, eyes glittering, ready for a bunch of filthy details.

“Hate to disappoint you, but Adore is just being a little shitbag–”

“Okay okay, not girlfriend. Crush.”

“I’m 40 years old,” Bianca sighed. “I don’t fucking get crushes.”

“Suuuuuure you don’t. I’ve seen the way your eyes glaze over when she walks into the room, B.”

“WHO ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?” Raja demanded.

Adore grinned. “My friend Courtney.” She ducked behind the tree to escape Bianca’s glare of death.

“Does she mean Fame’s assistant?!” asked Patrick.

“Ugh, Bianca, come on! I told you, please leave her alone. She’s barely competent as it is. I don’t need you breaking her heart.” Fame rolled her eyes.  
Bianca decided to avoid the question, but still felt a little irritated hearing Fame whine about Courtney again. “If she is so incompetent, why don’t you get a new assistant?”

Waving her hand, Fame replied, “It’s too much a hassle to find someone new, and I couldn’t do that to Violet. She’s just getting settled into design, and there is no possible way I would have time to train a new girl myself. Courtney is dumb, sweet, but dumb, and she has been doing a little better lately, I’m sure her 60% success rate will be more than enough to get us through a calm spring season.”

Bianca gripped her glass tightly and swiped some melba toast with caviar from a passing tray, stuffing it in her mouth to stop from saying something she’d regret. Courtney was certainly a little flighty, but dumb? Fuck them.

“You can do better, Bibi,” laughed Raja, punching her on the arm.

Grinding her teeth, Bianca attempted a smile, but it came out more like a sneer.

Raja moved a loose piece of hair out of her face before continuing, “I mean, she has really improved since she first started. I see her growth, as minimal as it is to me; but it’s growth nonetheless. But she used to hookup with Willam ‘no extra i’ who worked for Detox. Not only that, but that’s your little sister’s supposedly straight best friend.” She said as she let Raven drape her arms around her waist and lay her head against her back. “You know I love you, but I don’t think this is the best idea you’ve had regarding relationships.”

“Duly noted,” Bianca snapped, more than ready to change the subject.

“Hey.” Sutan handed Violet a drink before he sat down, the girl moving a little to the side before she settled into his side.

“Hey…”

“How’re you holding up? You’ve been kinda quiet?” Sutan voice was low, the fact that the party was still going on around them not really mattering as it always felt like he was alone in the world with Violet when he talked to her.

“Are you sure it’s not just your friends that are loud?” Violet smiled, a quiet giggle leaving her as she sipped on her drink, the teasing glint in her eyes assuring Sutan that she was just joking.

“Ouch! But I guess you’re right.” Sutan’s hand was resting on Violet’s knee, the fabric of her dress smooth under his hand, his thumb moving up and down as he petted her.

“Juju is very nice though… And it was a little weird talking to Mr. Bretsch-, sorry, Patrick, outside of work…”

“Do you want to go home?”

Violet shook her head. “I can wait, you should have fun. You don’t need to babysit me.” Sutan laughed, a sweet kiss landing on Violet’s lips as he pinched her side, a punishment for her sass, making her yelp.

“Sutan, my man. I can’t believe you haven’t introduced me to your girl yet.”

Violet sank into Sutan’s side, accepting Karl’s hands when he held it out, but else letting Sutan take control, enjoying the fact that she could have permission to just be, the alcohol in her blood letting her relax while the men chatted.

***

Detox was walking back and forth, Julia on his hip, his phone held between his shoulder and chin.

“I don’t care if you don’t have a story, Robbie! You have a deadline! Yes, yes. I am very well aware that I am not at the office, thank you for noticing, but unlike you, you incompetent piece of shit, I have a family that needs looking after and if you ask my five year old I’m sure she didn’t actively choose to come down with the flu in the middle of December. Are we clear? Okay.  Now make something up, and it better be online the next time I open my email or you’re fucking fired.”

Detox hung up, throwing his phone into the bottom bunk bed his kids were sleeping in. Detox looked down at Julia, the little girl’s brown eyes looking back up at him, her cheeks red.

“Hey princess, how’re you feeling?”

“Mmh…”

Detox moved Julia higher on his hip before he felt her forehead, the poor thing still burning up.

“Do you need to throw up or pee?”

“Uh huh.” Julia shook her head, and Detox gently kissed her sticky hair, both his arms supporting his little girl.

“How about we go to check on mommy and Owen?”

“Mmh…”

Detox was thinking about his computer in the dining room, email after email ticking in, but Owen and Julia had crashed on the same day, both of them vomiting first thing in the morning, even though they had been fine the day before at Fame’s cocktail party, both of them so excited that they had gotten a whole night out at auntie Fame’s.

Detox knew he was living on borrowed time, the sickness getting him soon too, but for now he would do everything he could to make sure that Juju wasn’t going to have to deal with it all by herself, no matter how many extra hours he would have to pull at the magazine the next time he checked in.

“Hey.”

Detox sat down on the couch next to Juju who had Owen in her arms, the TV running on mute with subtitles while Juju was trying to text one of her employees with her free hand.

“Hey.” Juju leaned in, getting a kiss from her husband, the two of them sitting side by side. They had allowed their staff to go home, and Kelly, their oldest, had been shipped off to a friend, both parents hoping that she had avoided the virus.

“Mommy… I’m hot…” Owen whined, trying to rub his sweaty forehead, his small body twisting in an attempt to get comfortable around Juju’s stomach.

“I know baby, I know. Do you want a fruit pop?”

“Mmh…”

“Let me.” Detox stood up, easily taking the sleeping Julia in his arms with him, the hours he spent at the gym paying off. “Do you need anything?”

“I think there’s a bucket with wings still in the fridge.”

“I thought you were done with chicken? Didn’t it make you nauseous?”

“It’s the only thing I love more than you.”

Detox laughed, shaking his head as he walked to the kitchen to get what his wife had requested.

***

"So Mani heard that we’re sick, so she’s coming over to bring food and tea.” Jujubee said as she sat at their kitchen island eating cold chicken wings out of the bucket, not bothering to warm them up.

“She is such a godsend.” Detox sighed as he sat down beside his wife with his laptop and phone. “But how did she know we were sick?” He asked as he waited for his computer to turn on, while grabbing a piece of chicken.

“Well she called me, because she is knitting a hat, gloves and scarves for the kids,” Jujubee started as she wiped her hands. “But she heard Owen coughing and whining and she asked ‘what’s wrong with her baby boy?’ So I told her and she was like she’ll be over with some soto ayam and some ginger honey tea for us.” She finished with a smile.

“I swear if she was like 40 years younger, you’d have to be worried.” Detox joked, earning him a punch in the shoulder from his wife as she got up to throw the chicken bones and trash away.

“Well, at least you have good taste…in women anyway.” Jujubee countered with a smile as she crossed her arms and looked at her husband. “Because your fashion sense is questionable.” She said, earning a laugh from him.

“But you love me, bad fashion and all.” Detox replied, wiggling his brows playfully at his wife who rolled her eyes with a smile.

Jujubee snorted; she loved her husband dearly but he was the reason why whenever they went out, she had to lay out his clothes for him. At the end of the day, she couldn’t trust him to not try and pair an orange tie with lime green pants and a red shirt. “Mainly because you make me look good with your lime green hair, we’re like a real life Beauty and the Beast situation.”

Detox couldn’t help but laugh, or attempt to laugh that turned into a hacking cough. “You’re so mean to me.” He said as he took a sip of water after he regained his breath.

“But it comes from a place of love.” Jujubee said with a smile and a kiss on his cheek as she walked past him to start a pot of hot water for tea.

 

***

“I can’t believe you’re going to the office party this year”, said Raja as she and Raven were stretched out on the couch in her office. She was pleasantly surprised to see Raven’s head peek through the slightly open door to her office, holding a bouquet of pink and gold hydrangeas with a big smile.

“Well, I wanted to surprise you since you always tell me about it and I’ve never been”, Raven said with a smile as she laid her head down against Raja’s chest. “And my little Violet is going to be there, so I definitely had to make an appearance.

“Sometimes I don’t know who you love more”, Raja sighed, feigning being hurt. “Is it me or Violet?” she said as she dabbed at non-existent tears and looked dramatically off into the distance as her fiancée cackled.

“Awww, don’t be like that, my precious”, Raven cooed sweetly as she gently stroked the side of Raja’s face. “You know I do truly love you, but there is just something about Violet that has me completely enamored. I find her very visually appealing.”

“That’s just what you want me to believe, but I know the truth, you’re only with me for my money”, Raja said, earning a snort of laughter from Raven who was twirling their hair together around her finger.

Raja never ceased to make her laugh. “Well, your money is just the added bonus”, Raven said with a soft kiss to Raja’s lips. “You’re also almost as pretty as me”, she said with a laugh at Raja’s pout.

“You’re the worst”, Raja mumbled into another kiss against Raven’s lips. “That’s why I love you; but come on, we gotta go get our favorite blonde.”

Raven’s eyes lit up at the prospect of seeing her blonde darling. “Oh yes! Let’s go get my darling Miss Fame”, she said as she got off of Raja and stood up. “But you do look really sexy today…making me reconsider going to the party”, Raven said as she looked down at her still lounging fiancée, looking utterly relaxed as she looked up at Raven.

Raja shifted to lay on her side as she checked her phone before saying, “Well…Fame doesn’t get off of her conference call for another 15 minutes.”

“I won’t need that long to accomplish my goal”, Raven replied as she went to secure Raja’s office door. “Maybe I can beat my record.“

“As I said”, Raja began as she watched Raven walk back to her with a glint in her eyes, “you’re the worst”, She finished as she pulled Raven back down on the couch.

“Which is why you love me”, Raven said breathily as Raja’s hand began to travel up her bare thigh.

“Indeed.”

***

“Courtney!” Miss Fame called from her office; she just wrapped up a lovely, but longer than expected phone interview with an interior design firm who came out to photograph her home. “Where is that girl”, Fame mumbled to herself. “Courtney!”

“I’m sorry Miss”, Courtney said as she came barging into Fame’s office after hearing her name being called.

“Where were you? I called you twice”, Miss Fame demanded as she watched Courtney fidget under her stare.

Courtney looked down at her feet. “I’m sorry, I had gone to wash out my tea mug and I just heard you call my name”, she said, not wanting to be in more trouble than necessary.

“It’s okay”, Fame said with a small, strained smile. She knew Courtney was trying very hard, but sweet lord, she was not as competent as she would like her to be. “But I wanted to let you know that Raja should be coming to see me before we go to the party. After she gets here, you can go down”, she finished.

“Oh, thank you, Miss”, Courtney said with a smile, happy she didn’t get chewed out by her boss. “Will there be anything else I need to get you before Ms. Amrull arrives?”

“No, just let me know when she arrives. That is all”, Fame replied easily as she started to text on her phone.

“Yes ma'am”, Courtney said before she left the room.

***

“Good afternoon, Courtney”, greeted Raja with a smile that made Courtney’s eyes widen.

“Good afternoon, Ms. Amrull.” Courtney said shakily, out of all the times she saw the tall ex-model, she never saw her smile, let alone at her. “Are you okay?”

Raven had to bite her lip to keep from laughing as she laced her fingers together with Raja.

“I am fine, Courtney, have you met my fiancée Raven?” Raja asked, looking down at the younger woman.

“We met over the summer when Violet was still training me”, Courtney said timidly under Raven’s intense stare as if she was an specimen under the microscope.

“Oh…that seems so long ago”, Raven said with a smirk before she took a step closer to Courtney’s desk, extending her hand. “Allow me to reintroduce myself, my name is Raven Petruschin.”

Courtney looked at the taller woman’s hand as if it was going to turn into a venomous snake and bite her. “Nice to meet you”, she said finally after taking her hand and shaking it.

“Baby, I’m going to speak to Fame real quick before the we go down to the party”, Raja said as she turned to look at Raven.

“Okay. darling”, Raven said sweetly as she gave Raja a kiss on the cheek. “You go and I know Courtney won’t mind keeping me entertained for a little bit”, she said as she turned her head to look at Courtney again. “Isn’t that right?”

“Yeah, it’s no problem”, Courtney blurted out before she could stop herself.

“Okay great, I’ll be right back”, Raja said with a quick kiss before she walked into Fame’s office.

“I’m surprised you’re still here”, Raven started as she sat lightly on the edge of Courtney’s desk. “I didn’t think you would have lasted this long, but you proved me wrong. I didn’t think you were competent enough to handle trying to fill the shoes Violet left for you”, she said as she crossed her arms, looking down at Courtney with a slight smile.

“Thanks…I think”, Courtney replied uneasily as she felt Raven’s bright grey eyes bore into hers. “It’s not easy, but it’s my job.”

“I’m sure being a personal assistant isn’t easy, it takes a very strong and disciplined individual to take on that job. You have to be smart and able to make miracles happen under pressure; though I honestly don’t think you have what it takes to last in this industry. But considering you haven’t been fired yet, there’s still hope for you”, Raven said easily, with a smile. “So…any plans for the holidays?”

***

“I’m just mildly concerned that everyone is going to get drunk again”, Fame sighed as she and Raja walked out of her office. Raja just finished filling her in on the new shipments of fabric that was sent in from Paris. “Remember what happened when design had a party and Kim dropped meatballs on my white carpet…do you know there’s still a light pink stain?”

“Aww, you worry too much, Fame, everything is going to be fine”, Raja said encouragingly, knowing in the back of her mind that their employees have already started drinking while getting the holiday decorations up. “I’m more concerned about what hideous sweater Trixie is going to wear this year”, she said with a snort of laughter.

Fame rolled her eyes with a smile. “They get worse every time I see him. I try not to look directly at his Christmas sweaters because they disturb my spirit.”

Raven cackled at Fame’s statement. “Are they really that bad, Fame darling?”, she asked as she got up from where she was perched.

“It’s like he’s trying to make Galactica look bad on purpose with those knit monstrosities”, Raja said, shaking her head. “His sweaters hurt my soul, they’re so bad.”

“Damn, now I have to see this sweater”, Raven said with a laugh coming to stand in between Raja and Fame, linking her arms with theirs.

“Fight that urge”, Fame groaned as she let Raven lead them to the elevators. “Your eyes will never be the same.”

“Well, they’re insured so it’s all good!” Raven quipped as she pressed the down button. “Are you coming, Courtney?” Raven asked sweetly as she turned to look over her shoulder to Courtney who was still sitting down. “Or are you so dedicated to your job that you would forgo an office party and work like a cute little worker bee at your desk while everyone else is enjoying themselves?”

“Oh, I thought you left already, Courtney?” Fame commented as she also turned to address the young woman.

“I’m sorry, I was just finishing up, you all can go without me”, Courtney replied as she internally shrank down, seeing all eyes on her.

“Are you sure?” Raja asked as the elevator pinged and the doors opened. “I’m sure we don’t mind waiting a few minutes until you finish what you’re doing. You’ve been working hard and you deserve to enjoy as much of the party as possible.”

“No, it’s okay, I want to clean up my desk before I leave so I won’t have too much to do when I come back”, Courtney said, touched that Raja said they would wait, even though her boss still scared the hell out of her. “Thank you though.”

“If you are sure”, Raja started as she held the elevator doors open for Fame and Raven to get in the lift. “But I expect to see you downstairs in 15 minutes at the party with a smile and a drink in your hand, mingling with your co-workers”, she commanded as she also stepped on the lift.

“Yes, Ms. Amrull, I will definitely be there”, Courtney said with a small smile.

“Good, I will see you then.”

***

“Trixie, is all that truly necessary?” Kim Chi asked her good friend as she watched him empty a bottle of vodka into the punch fountain. “Our co-workers are going to get so trashed.”

“I don’t think it’ll be that bad, it’s only a bottle of vodka”, Trixie replied as he put the cap back on the now empty bottle. “Besides, what’s the worst that can happen?”

“Do you remember last year’s party when the fire marshal was called because someone set off the sprinklers?” Kim started as she took the empty bottle from him and handed him two bottles of mango-peach concentrate to add to the vodka that was already starting to circulate through the fountain. “What about when someone ordered 200 pizzas, trying to order 20; did you forget that?”

“Aww Kimmie, don’t worry too much”, Trixie said as he slowly poured the juice into the fountain. “This time will be different since we have plenty of food and we learned our lesson from the sprinkler incident”, he continued as he opened the next bottle of juice. “I still don’t understand how someone was able to reach the sprinklers to set them off.”

“The most logical answer would be smoking inside”, Kim Chi said flatly as she looked at her eternally optimistic friend. “But quick question,” she started after she regained his attention as people started coming in the studio. Trixie decided to have the party in one of the design labs they weren’t using this season since it had the most space and if anything was spilled, it would be easy to clean up. “What in the hell do you have on?”

Trixie looked down at his prized holiday sweater Katya made for him. “Oh, this is my favorite Christmas sweater Katya made for me”, he said with delight, touching the wooly fabric.

“Does she hate you?”

“You’re kidding, right? She loves me, she spent all week making this for me.”

“If that’s love, I don’t need it.”

****

“Who made the punch? I brought my own vodka to enhance it a little, but this is surprisingly good enough. Hey, Lasky.” Pearl exchanged an air kiss with the tall make-up artist who was standing right by the punch fountain, holding a plastic bottle of water, people-watching.

“Hiiiieeee, Pearl. Looking great, I love the sweater!” Alaska pulled on the hem of Pearl’s take on Christmas fashion, Pearl spinning around to give her a full show. “How you’ve been? What’s that smile, huh? Tell me all about it! What’s her name?” She lightly punched Pearl’s arm.

Alaska was friendly with Adore, but hey, she was friendly with everybody, really, so Pearl didn’t hesitate before she started talking, first taking a sip of the punch. “Oh my God, Alaska. I have so much to tell you. I am in love, you know?” She clutched her chest, eyes lighting up.

“There’s always the first time for everybody.” Alaska smiled at the other blonde, deciding to drink some punch anyway to keep the thoughts of a certain redhead away for at least this one night.

“Oh, there’s Willam! Willam! Come over for a drink!”

Alaska was sure she misheard. Pearl probably meant some regular ‘William’, there was no possibility that - and yet there he was, a mocking smile, fringe falling on his forehead, Pearl throwing an arm around his shoulders after she handed him a glass of punch.

“Hi”, he said, Alaska and him having met at parties a couple of times before in the past.

“Pearl, what’s happening here?” Alaska looked to Pearl for explanation as to why the man who was trying to take down their company and who nonchalantly broke Courtney’s heart was right here, at their employee Christmas party.

“Oh, I hired Willam in social media! I figured if he didn’t do so well working against us, he’ll do well working for us. Am I right, Will?”

Willam downed his punch, looking like his only dream right now was to escape through some hole in the ground, refusing to make eye contact with Alaska. “You’re always right, boss.”

“Does Courtney know?”

“Does Court still work here?” asked Willam, really trying Alaska’s patience.

“Pearl, you are absolutely batshit insane”, she said calmly, the other girl grinning at her, not understanding her mistakes. “Good luck, I’m gonna go hang out with some simpler people. Has anyone seen Alyssa?”

Alaska stepped away from the crowd, quickly calling Courtney to try and prevent an inevitable disaster. “Hey Court, are you at the party yet? No, don’t come, it sucks. Let’s go out for drinks instead, I’m buying. Of course we can have some muffins too.”

***

“Oh there you are! I’ve been looking all over for you!” exclaimed Raven as she finally was able to locate Violet in the crowd. The younger woman took a seat on one of the small loveseats scattered around the room to give her leg a chance to rest. “Oh, hello”, she greeted as she got closer when she noticed that Violet wasn’t alone.

“Oh my gosh! Violet, you didn’t tell us you knew Raven Petruschin”, Gia said excitedly as she looked up at the tall model. “Do you want to sit?” she asked as she moved to make a little more room on the couch.

“Oh, don’t worry, I’ll just perch on the arm rest”, Raven said kindly. “But it’s nice to meet you…”

“Gia Gunn, I work in design with Violet”, Gia said excitedly; though she’s seen the model around Galactica before, she never spoke to her.

“Oh, how nice. How long have you been with Galactica?” Raven asked as she settled herself on the arm of the couch, handing Violet two cups of punch, adjusting her own dress so when she crossed her legs, it still showed some skin, but not enough to be vulgar.

“About three years this February”, Gia said proudly. “I was in makeup, but I really wanted to be in design.”

“Were you the one who designed that big black hoop handle with the white quilted leather bag?” Raven asked as she took one of the cups of punch from Violet.

“Yes! How did you know?” Gia exclaimed, surprised that out of all people, Raven remembered her design from several years ago.

“Because the woman you presented your design to is my fiancée”, Raven replied after she took a sip of the punch. “Needs a bit more vodka, but it’s still good.”

“You’re The Dragon Lady’s fiancée?” asked a new female voice.

“Oh, hi April”, greeted Violet as she watched the young jewelry designer walk over to them with a smile on her face and a slight blush on her cheeks. /Someone’s getting drunk./

“Yes I am, and who are you?” Raven replied with a smile, the vodka starting to make its presence known in her bloodstream.

“Oh, my name is April Carrion”, she replied, holding her hand out as Raven took it and shook it. “Nice to finally meet you, whatever your name is”, she slightly slurred out as she took notes from Raven and perched on the other couch arm.

“Likewise!” Raven said with a laugh. “But yeah, ‘The Dragon Lady’ is my adorable fiancée, Raja who is somewhere avoiding Trixie and his sweater, which I think is equal parts hilarious and horrific”, she said with a slight grimace recalling the sweater the head of design was sporting. It was like all the bad parts of Christmas found a home on his sweater.

“Oh wow…this whole time I thought she was like asexual or some shit.” April slurred out, swaying slightly to the house music playing through the speakers of the PA system.

Raven looked over the the woman curiously, “What makes you say that?” she asked, knowing she would get a very honest answer from the tipsy woman.

April took a sip of her drink before responding, not really registering who she was talking to. “Well you know, she gives off this aura of ‘I’m untouchable and I don’t have any feelings because I feed off the souls of small children to keep my youth.’ But she’s cool though,” she said with a drunk smile leaning over to cheers with Raven, who was laughing at her description of her fiancée.

“Awww, she’s not that bad”, Raven started after she regained her composure. “She only feeds on the souls of naughty children, kinda like Krampus”, she said easily, causing all the women to laugh.

“You know what, you’re a cool bitch”, April said as she slid off the side of the couch. “Does anyone need a drink refill?”

“I can definitely use some more”, Raven answered, holding her cup out to April.

“I’m good”, Violet said as her cup was still half full.

Gia popped up from her spot on the couch. “I’ll go with you because I want some more of those mini corn dogs.”

Violet watched Gia and April depart to the bar before she directed her attention to Raven, who was still sitting on the couch arm, watching the women leave. “I honestly thought you were going to rip into April for talking about Raja”, she said calmly.

Raven looked down at Violet. “Oh no!” she said with a smile. “I quite like her, and it’s not like she was lying. Do you know what jackfruit is?” Raven asked Violet as she watched the Galactica employees drink and dance.

“I think I do”, Violet started. “But I’m not entirely sure.”

“Well, jackfruit is a large, prickly green fruit. It looks intimidating because most people don’t see it often, let alone eat it”, Raven said as she watched April and Gia make their way back to them. “But after you get past that hard and intimidating exterior, the pulp inside is so sweet, especially when ripe. That is how Raja is: she has a prickly exterior, but she really is a sweetheart.” She finished with a fond smile, thinking about her fiancée who had a way with people.

If it had been anyone else trying to describe her boyfriend’s twin sister, Violet wouldn’t have believed them. But she was slowly starting to see that nice side of Raja. “You know what, I think that’s a perfect analogy for her.”

***

“I think this might be the best company party we’ve had”, greeted Alyssa as she walked over to where Raja and Fame were standing. Her two bosses were sitting on an elevated high back settee, watching their employees enjoy their well-earned holiday party.

“I sure hope so”, started Fame as she took a sip of her non-alcoholic juice. “I just hope everyone gets home safely”, she said as she watched Laganja and Gia vogue to the upbeat music.

“Oh Fame, always so concerned about the well-being of your employees. You truly are the best boss ever.”

***

’‘You promised me it would only be a small gift.” Laila frowned at the beautiful shirt Pearl got her, a little box with a brand new iPhone and another bag of goodies from work, containing two Naked palletes and a hybrid nail lamp. They were at Laila’s apartment, sitting on a blanket underneath a small, but real Christmas tree Laila bought at the market. They weren’t going to spend Christmas together, so Laila figured they could at least have tonight.

New York was beautiful during Christmas, Pearl was smiling, warm and happy next to her, drinking eggnog Laila made, but all Laila could think about was the fact that she was going to be alone for Christmas again, only her against the memories. Katya and Trixie already offered to take her in, but she felt stupid bothering them, especially after they just had her for Thanksgiving. So Laila declared to do a Christmas Eve shift at the bar and made plans to not leave her bed for three days afterwards, watch Home Alone, finish a bottle of wine and cry for a while.

“It is a small gift, Laila! The free stuff from work doesn’t count. Merry Christmas, baby.” Pearl pulled Laila close, throwing her legs over Laila’s and locking their lips in a long kiss that almost, but not quite, made Laila forget why they were even here. Only the sound of cheesy Christmas songs in the background brought her back to reality.

’'I’m sorry, but I actually got you a /small/ gift, so congratulations for making me feel like an asshole.”

’'You’re not - ”

“I’m just kidding, Pearl! There. Open it.”

Laila spent long hours online looking for just the right thing to get Pearl. The problem with Pearl was as follows: she had everything, and if she didn’t, she could get it without any trouble. Laila coudn’t, and didn’t want to, buy her a generic bottle of perfume or anything cliché like that, she also couldn’t afford to buy her anything outrageous. But she was quite satisfied with what she got in the end, even though she needed to have it custom-made, and that cost a pretty penny. But hell, Pearl deserved that. She made Laila feel like a person again.

Pearl took the package from Laila, ripping it open so she could see its contents as soon as possible. Two jewelry items fell into her lap, and Pearl picked up one of them, touching it carefully, staring, no words coming out of her mouth, which filled Laila with dread.

“You should probably say something, you know. Like, a thank you would be good.”

Pearl turned to look Laila in the eyes. The gift was two leather choker necklaces, one black and one white, with a metal heart in the front. Inside of the heart, there was a little dangling pearl. ’'Is that – a pearl? Like, a real pearl? Like my name?”

’'Yes? I – I don’t know, I thought it was cute. And your style. You wear black or white all the time, so I had the shop make me two different colors. I hope you like them.”

“Put it on me.”

“What?”

“Here, I wanna wear it. Come on.” Pearl handed Laila the white choker that went with the clothes she was wearing today. The girl clasped it on blonde’s neck, Pearl touching the metal heart. “Awesome. I’m never taking it off again.”

Laila was surprised by the sudden hug the other girl gave her, apparently trying to squeeze all the air out of Laila’s lungs. “You are the smartest, most wonderful girlfriend ever! A pearl choker! In two different colors! How did I ever find you? Do I even deserve you?”

’'So, you like the gift?”

Pearl grinned, tangling her fingers in Laila’s hair. “I fucking love the gift. It’s the best. You’re the best.”

“It’s good that you say that because we’re about to eat now, and you can change your mind.” Laila run her hands down her face. “Well, so I have no idea how to make turkey, so roasted a chicken and I think it’s almost the same thing if you close your eyes.”

Pearl still kept touching the pearl on her neck. “I’m sure it’s gonna be great anyway. And if not, we have some more booze, right?”

“There’s always more booze.”

***

’'Shane? How long will we be staying at your dad’s? I don’t know how many clothes to pack.”

’'You always take half the closet anyway, so why ask me? Three days, babe. Three days, two nights.”

“Oh. Okay. Why do you look suspicious though?”

Shane was standing in the bedroom doorway while Betty was trying to pack for their little Christmas trip to Long Island. He looked like a chessmaster, ready to pull off the best trick of his career, a tiny smile dancing on his lips. The snow was falling softly behind their windows and Betty was silently overjoyed to get a few days off work, even if being around Shane’s family was very energy-consuming.

“Me, suspicious? You’re reading into things too much, Elizabeth.” Shane was blowing at one of his dreadlocks that fell upon his face, instead of using his hands to tuck it back.

’'Then what’s with the hands behind your back? What have you got there? Is that for me? Gimme!”

Getting presents was one of Betty’s favorite things in the world. She was in front of Shane in seconds, surrounding him with her arms, trying to reach the thing he was holding, but he took a step back.

’'Okay, okay, easy there, tiger. So I got you an early Christmas gift just to celebrate the fact that you still have your job.”

’'What? Are you being serious right now?”

Shane shrugged with a smile to Betty’s offended expression. ’'I like to celebrate things that make me happy, what can I do!”

’'Okay, awesome, now give me the gift! I can’t stand all the build-up!”

“Oh no, no, not so fast. I think Santa deserves a kiss first.”

’'Alright, Santa.” Betty laid a quick kiss on Shane’s slightly parted lips, impatient to get her hands on the gift.

’'Really? Is that all you’ve got for your thoughtful, forgiving, amazing, sexy Santa? Is that really the best you can – mhhh – ”

Betty didn’t let Shane finish the sentence as she pulled him in by the nape of his neck, immediately opening her mouth, letting him slide his tongue in and pull on her lip ring with his teeth, Shane’s hand wandering slowly down to grab her ass, clearly taking advantage of the moment.

“That’s more like it. Merry Christmas, baby.” The gift bag Shane presented her with contained a box that made Betty’s heart beat faster, so fast she kneeled on the floor before she even dared to lift the lid.

’'Shane! How did you find them? Oh my God!”

“Is this the pair you wanted?”

“Oh my fucking God! Thank you!” Betty rushed to hug the hell out of Shane who was already seated on the floor right beside her, watching her unpack the colorful, pop-art high heels he bought her. “I love you so much, /Santa/.”

’'You’re welcome.”

Betty knew her collection of rare shoes was slowly starting to take up more space than it was reasonable, but, frankly, she didn’t care. A woman needed to enjoy the small things in life.

’'I’m wearing them for Christmas dinner. It’s just a fair warning.”

’'Okay, boo. I’m sure my dad’s gonna love them”, Shane winked, hooking an arm around Betty to bring her closer.

’'Merry Christmas, my lovely Santa.”

  
***

Courtney knocked timidly on Bianca’s door, holding a duffel bag in one hand and a garment bag in the other. She was expecting Adore to answer since she’d texted her from the subway, but instead it was Bianca who opened the door.

They hadn’t seen each other since Thanksgiving, and for a moment, it was like time froze. Bianca’s big brown eyes were warm and soft, and maybe a little…unsure? Courtney took a deep breath, tried to make her voice light, as she said, “Hi, Bianca. Merry Christmas.”

Bianca groaned to herself. She thought having a month away would help ease these feelings, but seeing her again, cheeks flushed pink from the cold, glittering green eyes, all bundled up in winter gear…she could feel her heart swell, her breath come faster. She reached out to take Courtney’s bag, stuffing her feelings deep inside where they belonged. “Merry Christmas! Here, let me help you…”

Bianca put the heavy bag over her shoulder, beckoning Courtney to follow her inside.

Courtney’s eyes drifted to her round ass, hugged by yoga pants. She dug her nails into her palm. It was going to be a long week.

***

It was late morning on December 25th, or early afternoon, Laila didn’t care much. She was watching the end sequence of Love Actually, letting tears stream down her face freely, her fingers dirty in Cheeto dust, an open bottle of red wine right next to her bed. The doorbell rang, making her reluctantly pause the movie and crawl out from underneath the blanket, wondering what her crazy neighbour wanted to borrow this time.

“Dashing through the snooooow, on a one horse open sleeee – what the fuck, Laila? You look terrible! What is going on?”

Katya was in the doorway, holding two big bags in her hands, a Christmas carol dead on her lips as he was clearly confused at Laila’s state of being, trying to look inside the younger girl’s small apartment. Ashamed, Laila tried to wipe some Cheeto dust on her sweatpants, then proceeded to wipe the tears off her red, swollen face. Meanwhile Katya managed to let herself in, putting down the bags and taking a look around Laila’s one-room kingdom, surveying the three bottles of wine on the kitchen counter and plastic bags filled with comfort food, used tissues stained with make-up covering the floor.

“Seriously, Laila, what is it? Are you okay?”

“Yes, I am – I mean – I’m not – really, Katya – why – Christmas, you know?”

“Oh my God, you silly, little goose.” Katya quickly embraced Laila, laying a kiss in her hair and gently patting her back, making Laila take a deep breath that shook her entire body, a sound between a sob and a laugh coming out. “I asked Pearl to text me your address because we got you a gift, I also brought some food, but – get dressed, okay? I’m taking you home with me.”

“No, Katya, you don’t have to. I don’t want to – I don’t want to be a bother.”

“Are you kidding me?” Katya wiped Laila’s cheeks with the back of her glove. “Trixie’s sister who we’ve literally haven’t seen for two years has already dropped by unannounced to destory the entire capitalistic world order, and I’ve accidentally cooked for like ten people, so you don’t get to say no. And you’re not gonna be a bother. Ever. Get dressed.”

Still shell-shocked by being caught at her worst, Laila nodded. “Thanks, Katya. Really. I don’t – I don’t even know what to say.”

“Don’t say anything. Christmas are for being happy, not for – whatever you’ve been doing. Now chop chop, my car is probably being stolen as we speak.”

Before Laila locked the bathroom door to get herself cleaned up, she could hear Katya breaking into another carol as she started washing Laila’s dirty dishes.

It really was a one-of-a-kind Christmas miracle.

***

Mani was watching her children unpack their gifts. She had never expected her life to be like this. When her husband had been fired from his job and had suggested they should go to America, she had hesitated, scared of the changes and scared for how their children would handle something turning their world upside down. They were just kids after all, but her husband had kissed her forehead and told her that everything would be okay, and she had believed him.

[“Mani, thank you for the cookbook, this looks so good!”] Raja smiled brightly, holding the heavy book she had ordered from Indonesia, their aunt sending it over when Maharani had explained it was a gift for Raja.

[“You’re welcome, Princess”]

Mani had never thought she would celebrate christmas, her faith in Islam always taking the front seat in her life even after their move to a brand new country. Everything she believed in, however, changed one day when her children had come home from school, their small faces looking so very different. Sutan was crying, his whole body moving with desperate sobs as he clinged to her, while Raja looked like a thundercloud, her rage ready to tear everything and even herself apart.

[“They made fun of us at school because we don’t celebrate Christmas! I said it was a stupid holiday and that they were just ignorant and mean and I called them disgusting rats!”]

[“Raja…”]

[“It was in Indonesian! It’s not like those dumbdumbs would understand, also, I don’t care! They made Sutan cry and I want them all to burn in Janhaman!”]

[“Raja!”]

Mani could remember how outraged she had been, how she had called their school, her broken English not even getting her past the secretary. The shame from those desperate days still crept up on her sometimes. How she had tried everything, but everywhere she had turned they had sent her anyway, not interested in helping the weird new family that all smelled of spices they didn’t know, and had a skin tone they had never seen, so she had done the only thing she could think of.

In a storm, even the strongest oak tree can be destroyed, but the reed always survived.

That year Mani had bought a small tree and presents for her family, and even though the presents had been small, a simple handkerchief for her husband, a lipstick for a growing Raja and socks for Sutan with that horrid batperson he still cared about so much, she had seen the pride on her children’s faces as they walked off to school the next day, both of them glowing, and knew she had made the right decision.

“The next one is for you, Violet!” Raven smiled, her entire body decorated with the gifts from Raja, and Mani couldn’t help but smile in as she watched her almost-daughter-in-law give the newest guest to their family a small green envelope.

Violet was a funny little thing, her name ever so hard to pronounce, but Mani was sure she would get it right some day. When Sutan had called and told her he was bringing someone to Sunday dinner, she had thought he was joking at first. Her boy had never introduced her to anyone, not even to the Jinkx girl Raja had assured her he had been seeing in their 20s, but here she was, the girl Sutan had deemed worthy to meet her.

Violet was quiet, shy and painfully polite. Even though this was her third visit to Mani’s house, and Raven had long forgotten by that point, Violet had still bought a small gift for her as a thank you for inviting her, the girl slowly and awkwardly making her way through the Indonesian greetings that was customary. She had been nothing but a delight to have in her home, not even a broken leg keeping her from always asking if she could help, and even drying the dishes on Thanksgiving after their main course, one hand resting on her crutches.

Mani still remembered how sweet Violet had looked when she had fallen asleep in the same armchair she was sitting in now, Sutan carrying her to the car once everyone else had had their fill of dessert, the tender look on his face as he carefully got in the backseat with her still in his arms.

The trinkets Violet had given her, the flower, a small jade rock and now also a Christmas ornament were all on display in the window still, carefully put out along with the picture Mani had taken of her and her son kissing at Violet’s first visit, the image framed and put up on the wall along with everything else.

“Who is this from? There’s no name on it.”

“It’s from me.”

Mani watched Sutan raise his hand, his dark eyes keeping track of every single movement from Violet as she smiled and started to open the envelope, her long fingers carefully undoing the glue, as if she intended to keep the gift forever as a memory. Violet reached in, and pulled out a piece of rectangular paper, her face the perfect picture of complete and utter shock when she saw the writing on it.

“I… I… Sutan, you can’t… This is… This… Why? Why have you? I…”

“I didn’t want you to worry anymore.”

“But this, it’s too much, it’s… It’s…”

“It’s just money. You can use it to pay out your student loans or not, do whatever you want with them. I called as you asked me to, and it turns out your bank clerk really is a dick. I don’t care what you use them for. They’re yours.”

Mani watched as tears started falling from Violet’s eyes, her arms reaching out after Sutan who instantly stood up and moved to her chair, embracing her in his arms and holding her tight, words leaving Sutan that Mani couldn’t quite make out as Violet cried. What she could, hear however, were the thank yous falling from Violet’s lips again and again, the girl clinging to her boy as if he was the only thing keeping her from drowning.

***

Adore, Bianca and Courtney lounged around Bianca’s living room in their pajamas, sipping cocoa and slowly opening presents. Courtney and Adore had laughingly exchanged presents they’d picked out together on a recent shopping expedition. Adore had given Bianca some earrings that were more her style than her sister’s.

“It’s the thought that counts, though, right?” she giggled.

Bianca then opened a package from Courtney: a large coffee table book of fashion photography from the 1960s. Bianca’s dimples were deep as she paged through some of the photos. She looked up into Courtney’s hopeful face. “It’s beautiful, thank you so much.”

“You really like it?” Courtney chewed nervously on her bottom lip. “I didn’t really know…I mean, I had to ask my friend Alaska to help pick it out.”

“I love it.” She shifted as the look between them grew heated, cleared her throat and stood up suddenly, taking two small gift bags from under the tree, handing one to Adore and one to Courtney.

“But B, you’ve given me so much already,” Adore gushed, “I can’t possibly accept, oh hell, I guess I can!” She grinned wickedly at her sister, who laughed. She pulled the tissue paper out of the bag and yanked out a large silver envelope. “Omigod B, I LOVE this place!”

Courtney’s throat was dry as she opened her identical envelope. Mirror Lake Inn Spa Getaway Weekend, it said, and printed below was an itinerary. Courtney’s eyes swam with all of the details - car service, spa and salon packages, meals, yoga, hiking…this was her DREAM vacation. It must have costs thousands of dollars. She swallowed hard. It was one thing for Bianca to spoil Adore - that was her sister - but her? And then Courtney’s chest flooded with guilt at the next thought. A fleeting second where she imagined Bianca taking care of her, too. She closed her eyes for a second.

“Omigod, Court, we are gonna have so much fun! You’ll love it there. I usually skip the exercise and shit for more jacuzzi time, but you’ll love all that crap.”

Courtney finally looked up and caught Bianca’s eyes, looking at her expectantly. “I don’t know if I can…this is too much, I–”

Bianca waved her hand. “I know how stressed out you’ve been at work. I figured this way, you could have a relaxing weekend before you went back in January. Or, you know, you guys can change the dates–”

“Courtney, please tell me you can make it, I don’t wanna change the dates! It’s Friday after New Year’s, right B? Oh man, this is so awesome. Be right back, I’m getting another cinnamon roll. You guys want anything?” Adore was already halfway to the kitchen.

Courtney shook her head. “No, thanks, I’m fine.”

“Can you grab me some more coffee, hon?” Bianca called after her. She turned back to Courtney, who still looked shell-shocked on the carpet. “Courtney. It’s nothing, please. First of all, I can’t send Adore upstate to terrorize the townies alone. And second…it makes me happy to know that you’re gonna have a nice time. Okay?”

Courtney nodded, her voice quiet, “Okay. Thank you. I know it’s not enough but…” Her eyes were misty. She felt that guilt again, pounding in her chest. /She can solve all your problems/, the little nagging voice said. She balled her hands into fists.

“Hey. Listen. It’s not a contest, okay? I happen to have a lot of money. What good is that if I don’t use it, you know?” Bianca’s voice was calm and even. She didn’t want to scare the kid off again.

She nodded, blinked back those pesky tears, and smiled up at Bianca. “Okay, well… thank you. Again.”

“You are very welcome.” Bianca smiled back at her, and Courtney could feel her heart fluttering in her chest again. She took a deep breath, pressing her lips together, trying not to look at Bianca’s smooth, perfectly manicured hands, trying not to wish those hands were all over her.

She let out a sigh of relief as Adore came back into the room, stuffing her face with a cinnamon roll and handing Bianca a steaming mug of black coffee.

***

Bianca couldn’t sleep. She tossed around in her plush king-sized bed, trying to stop thinking about the 22-year-old sleeping across the hall. In her little shorts. And that top that left NOTHING to the imagination. She had to know that when she put it on, right?

Stop it, you sick fuck, Bianca told herself. She is a KID. Who likes boys. Who had one moment of weakness and you took advantage of it. You’re lucky she didn’t press charges. Stop it.

Bianca covered her face with a pillow and rolled over, squeezing her thighs together.

 

***  
  
“Okay, now tell me what’s your story.”

Laila was helping Katya with the dishes, the two women eager to escape the hustle and bustle of the living room where Max, Trixie and his sister, who frankly terrified Laila, were elbows deep in a discussion about animal rights.

“What story?”

“Oh, come on. You can bullshit literally everybody else around here, but not me. People like us, we can smell each other out.”

“Oh yeah? What’s your story then?”

Katya put down the plate she was wiping and pulled out chairs for both Laila and herself. There was honesty radiating from the blonde, her quirky exterior suddenly replaced by absolute seriousness as she straightened her back and cleared her throat. “My name is Yekaterina Petrovna Zamolodchikova and I’m an alcoholic.”

Laila kept looking at Katya, suddenly understanding so much. “Oh.”

“I’m an ambassador’s daughter and my family doesn’t even want to know me. I was supposed to become a shining star in the fashion world, but I ended up overwhelmed by everything, failing badly at my job as Fame’s assistant, basically digging a deeper hole for myself everyday. I nearly died, Laila.”

Laila gulped, not expecting this evening to turn into time of revealing deepest secrets. “I’m so sorry, Katya.”

“It’s okay. I met Trixie at the worst time of my life, you know? And now I’m about to become his wife. Him and Fame pulled me out of the gutter by the ears. Saved my life. These people”, Katya gestured to the living room, “are my new family. Fame, Pearl and Violet too. I’ve been sober for 4 years now.” She knocked on the wooden part of the tabletop. “But it’s a struggle every single day.”

Laila has known many an addict in her life; seeing Katya, happy, positive about everything and doing so well for herself, she couldn’t help but be reminded of someone very special; someone who was the main character in her story, a story she never really told anybody.

“I used to have this girlfriend”, she started out of the blue, just needing it out of her system, Katya focusing 100% of her attention on Laila. “We met when I went to college. She was a music major, a professor’s assistant, almost nine years older than me. I was just a kid when I met her, and we were so in love.”

Katya was nodding, her palm resting on Laila’s forearm. “She was my first everything, you know? My entire fucking world. She taught me everything. My family is pretty shitty, and Thorgy – she is the reason I have any self-esteem whatsoever, ‘cause she was the only one who always believed in me. She was always so positive about each and every little thing, she just loved life and people so much, and she loved me. It was just the two of us for more than three years, until – ” Laila got choked up, actually saying the words after all these years proving almost impossible. Katya didn’t pressure, she just waited with concern on her face, her grip on Laila’s forearm tightening.

“She died, Katya. She died.”

Katya looked like she wanted to say she’s sorry, but was biting her tongue as tears escaped her eyes. Laila shook her head for no reason.

“I don’t even remember how many days I’ve spent in our bed, tearing my hair out, thinking of ways to kill myself but being too much of a coward to go through with any of them, and then I dropped out of college, because I just couldn’t bear walking the same roads Thorgy did, I couldn’t bear looking at all the places where we were once happy together. I left all of that, went to New York. Lived on my friend’s couch for two months, got a job at the bar, the rest is history.”

“Laila, sorry to ask you this, but did you ever – did you ever go to therapy?”

“Fuck no. I could never afford it. I just – I think I kept pushing the pain down until it stopped choking me, and became this numb part of me, you know? Like an extra limb you keep dragging around.”

Without any more words, Katya stood up of her chair and kneeled in front of Laila, wrapping her arms around the other girl tightly. Though slightly shocked, Laila reciprocated the embrace as good as she could, letting some tears fall out of her eyes too.

“Thanks for sharing that with me, Laila. Thank you. I’m so damn happy Pearl met you.” Katya wiped her own tears with the back of her hand.

“For real? Why?”

“Because you, miss McQueen, are beautiful, brave and a fighter. You’re gonna make her understand that life is not always easy. And she’ll treat you well, because she’s head over heels in love with you.”

“Are you sure of that, Katya? I don’t want to get my hopes up.”

“Does the sun rise in the east every day? Cross my heart.”

Laila wiped her tears with her sleeve, feeling like a giant weight has been taken off her shoulders. “Thank you, Katya. Thank you so, so much.”

“No worries, /dziewuszka./ Just remember to always  tell everyone that I’m your favorite person in this house.”

***

Courtney was curled in a ball, knees hugged to her chest. Being here again, in the soft bed with the smooth, expensive sheets against her skin, Adore’s warm, sleeping body pressed into her back, everything in the room smelling like Bianca, she was so over-stimulated she thought she might explode.

She couldn’t stop thinking about Bianca kissing her, touching her, holding her in a way she’d never been held before. And today, every look was filled with the promise of more, and Courtney couldn’t take it. Her stomach twisted and her skin burned. Finally, she’d had enough. Time to bite the bullet, so to speak. She threw off her blankets and slipped from the bed, stopping to check her reflection in the moonlight. She put on some lip gloss and took a deep breath, then slowly, as quietly as possible, opened the door and padded down the hallway to Bianca’s room.

“Hey,” came a voice behind her, and she jumped about ten feet, spinning around.

There she was. No makeup, no jewelry, hair loose around her shoulders. She was so beautiful. Courtney gulped.

“Can’t sleep?” Bianca asked, moving closer to her.

“Oh, I, uh…” and then all the bravery from moments ago dissolved, as Courtney stammered in the dark. “I was just…I was thirsty, and I was looking for the kitchen. I must have gotten turned around, I…I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Bianca took one more step towards her. Dear God, she was shaking. “I’m sorry I startled you. I didn’t mean to, I just,” Bianca sighed. “The kitchen is that way.” She pointed down the hall, one hand resting reassuringly on Courtney’s shoulder.

“Okay, thanks.” Courtney scampered down the hall and around the corner, where she leaned against the wall, gasping for breath, hating herself for being such a chicken.

Bianca watched her disappear, trying to stop herself from following, from sliding her arms around her in the dark, pressing her against the wall and kissing away all the fear, the uncertainty, the anxiety. She took a slow breath and walked back to her room, alone.

***

“Everybody’s looking at me all weird, Pearl.”

“It’s because they’re jealous of your beauty.”

“I highly doubt that.”

Laila tried to stay half a step behind Pearl as they walked into the club, a party thrown by some designer whose name Laila couldn’t even pronounce, full of breathtaking models and socialite members. It wasn’t her first party of that caliber with Pearl, but it was their first New Year’s Eve and obviously Pearl was looking like a million bucks, her platinum ponytail swinging around.

“Whatever you say, bonbon. Drinks?”

“Obviously. Hands off my ass though.” Something was off about this evening, about this place, and Laila couldn’t pinpoint what exactly. Maybe it was the music. Maybe it was the smell of Pearl’s new perfume. Maybe she was just PMS-ing.

“Aww, you’re being no fun.” Pearl tried to kiss her, Laila turning her head just in time for Pearl’s lips to smash against her cheek, leaving a wine red lipstick stain.

“Great, now I have to go wash that off. Be right back. You get us the drinks.”

The blonde frowned and shrugged, waving at Laila as she turned to go to the bar. Laila located the club bathroom, the harsh lights amplifying every flaw of hers in the mirror. Her blueish hair was braided by Pearl and wrapped around her head like a crown, and she did her makeup as meticulously as ever, but still managed to dislike her plain eyes and double chin and cheekbones that refused to stand out. Wiping the lipstick mark with a tissue, she heard the water flushing in one of the stalls and then heels clicking, a girl walking out to wash her hands next to Laila, swaying in her platform shoes a little bit.

“Aw shit, fuck, damn.”

The voice was so, so very familiar Laila looked at the stranger’s face in the mirror, a horrible feeling tying her stomach in knots when she realized who that was, already a little drunk, having just accidentally sprayed tap water all over her outfit.

/Maybe she won’t notice me if I keep quiet. Maybe if I just leave right now, I can avoid her, tell Pearl I got food poisoning and then we just grab a cab home. Maybe I can - /

“Laila.” Adore caught her eye, frozen in her tracks.

What was she supposed to say? “Hey, Adore.”

Adore was staring at Laila in the mirror, her mouth opening, then closing, then opening again. Laila decided to run for it, taking only half a step in the direction of the door, before she felt Adore’s hand grabbing her tight by the elbow, keeping her in place.

“Were you honestly going to leave without talking to me? After everything that happened? Are you fucking serious?” Adore’s blue eyes were filled with rage, but that wasn’t the worst part. The worst part was the HURT behind her anger.

“I’m - I’m sorry, okay? I know it’s not even close to enough, but I’m sorry, from the bottom of my heart. Pearl just - ”

“Yeah Laila, I fucking know how irresistable Pearl is. I get it. But how could you not TELL me? And still…how many months ago was that and you still never said a fucking WORD to me. Do you just not give a shit? I thought we were FRIENDS!” Adore voice got louder and louder as she ranted.

“What do you want me to fucking DO, Adore? I fucked up, alright? I know I did, and I’m sorry. Jesus Christ. Do you wanted me to, I don’t know, call you and say, oh, sorry for sleeping with your girlfriend? Would that have satisfied you?”

“YES! Yes, asshole, that is EXACTLY what you should have done! And I’d have been furious and cursed you out and cried and it would have been awful, but you know what’s worse? Losing a friend. That’s fucking worse.” Adore took a shaky breath, and for a second she looked about 5 years old.

Laila shook her head slightly, forcing herself not to hide her face in her hands. She was not going to cry, not tonight. She was going to deal with it like a real adult. “I know. I’m human trash. It’s too late now, right?”

Adore threw up her hands. “And now you’re not even letting me yell at you! Stop looking so fucking sad, I’m the one who’s supposed to be sad!”

“Sorry… What?” Laila was confused, Adore visibly calming down and lowering her voice.

“Ugh, fuck you, Laila!” Adore stomped out of the bathroom, slamming the door behind her.

“Fucking fuck.” Laila tried to run after her, fighting with the heavy bathroom door.

Before Laila made it to the bar, Adore was already there, waving her hands in the air in front of Pearl’s face, the blonde looking at her with judgement, her painted lips twisted into an expression of borderline distaste.

“…if you had a single decent, human bone in your body, you would have broken up with me before fucking my friend, but instead you treated me like garbage, and for what? You are such a goddamn DOUCHEBAG, Pearl!”

“Yeah, whatever. Water under the bridge now, am I right?” Peal noticed Laila, who just appeared from behind Adore’s back, and waved her over. “Stop yelling and just do shots with us, Delano.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?”

“No. Shots or gtfo, you’re killing my vibe.”

Adore glared at her. “Sure. I’d love to shots with you two dickheads. When FUCKING HELL FREEZES OVER! Have a nice life, cunts.” Adore shoved Pearl out of her way to stand at the bar, frantically waving down a bartender.

“Jesus, what a drama queen.” Pearl caught Laila’s gaze, but she didn’t notice the other girl was shaking until she grabbed her hand, Laila leading Pearl out of the club and to the cloakroom to get their coats as fast as she could. “What is going on? Laila? Are we leaving? I guess we are - okay, okay, alright. Slow down, fuck.”

Laila was not going to slow down. She needed to breathe some fresh, cold air, and she needed it right this instant.

“You gotta talk to me, girl. Come on.” When they were finally out, Pearl tried to make Laila look her in the eyes, snapping fingers in front of her face, grabbing her by the arms, but Laila’s head was spinning, the depth of her mistake hitting her with full force.

“There’s nothing to talk about, alright? I’m stupid. I’m stupid, Pearl, I’ve always been stupid, I just - I’m going home. Sorry I fucked up New Year’s Eve. I’ll just go now, you can still have fun.”

“No way.” Pearl was now right in Laila’s face, hooking an arm around her, fiercely bringing her close. “Do I have to go back in and punch that trashbag for ruining your mood?”, she hissed through gritted teeth, angry, Laila feeling a shiver creep up her spine, cold biting into the skin of her legs.

“She was my friend, okay? A good friend. And I just went and fucked her girlfriend. I bet there’s a special place in hell for people like me.”

Pearl scratched her head, but still didn’t let go of Laila. “I was the one who cheated on her. It’s not your fault. You’re not allowed to talk about yourself like that. Your only fault is being an extraordinarily hot, amazing, gorgeous girl who I couldn’t resist even if I tried. But I didn’t, like, try much.”

“Pearl -”

“Let’s just go, we can make out on the dancefloor somewhere else.” Still holding Laila close, Pearl directed them both towards the curb where they caught a cab to make it to another club before midnight.

Laila couldn’t stop thinking about how disappointed Adore looked. She wasn’t angry, not that much at least; she looked like Laila backstabbed her, and Laila was aware of that. She never considered herself a particularly good person (especially not since the girl who used to tell her how good she was every day was long, long gone), but tonight was a particularly low point.

Well, at least she got Pearl out of that. Unfairly, but she did, and Pearl seemed not to care how terrible Laila was, currently busy running her hand up Laila’s thigh in the backseat of a cab.

“What do I have to do to make you smile again, hon-bun?”

“Just take me somewhere where nobody knows us, please. That might make me hate myself less”, she muttered.

“Look, Laila. Look at me”, drawled Pearl, tipping Laila’s chin up in a familiar gesture. “I never loved Adore. She was a rebound, nothing more, and she knew it from the start. We’re not responsible for the collateral. What I’m trying to say is, like, I looked at you, I heard you sing, damn, I heard you laugh and I knew.”

“Knew what?”

“That I wouldn’t be able to go another day without you.”

Laila really wished Pearl didn’t say that, because she had no response, no words, no gestures, she just tried to breathe, both her hands folded sadly in Pearl’s lap where the blonde girl squeezed them.

“So stop blaming yourself. Shit happens. Life goes on, Adore will get over it and I’m not letting her ruin our first New Year’s Eve. Fuck no. I know this fun dive bar, you’re gonna love it.”

 


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 20

Still shaking a little, Adore stood at the bar, waiting for her drink. Where the FUCK was Courtney? She looked around. Of course. Perched on a sofa next to Bianca, hanging on her every word. Adore rolled her eyes and turned back to the bar, letting out an exasperated sigh.

Someone next to her chuckled dryly. “Sounds like your night is going about as well as mine.” The tall blonde grinned at her sheepishly, recognition dawning in her eyes. “Wait, aren’t you Courtney’s friend?”

Adore puffed out her cheeks. “Yeah. I’m Adore.”

“Alaska,” supplied the blonde. “I work with Court at Galactica. I love her so much, she’s just the sweetest thing ever. She talks about you all the time.”

Frustration reaching a boiling point, Adore burst out with, “Yeah, Courtney’s the fucking greatest. My best friend. Although you wouldn’t know it tonight, since she abandoned me to follow my sister around like a damn love-struck puppy.” Adore gestured to the couches.

“I thought Courtney was straight,” Alaska said, confusing wrinkling her brow.

Shit. “Oh, uh…I mean, yeah, she is. I…honestly don’t know what the deal is, I think it’s just…maybe just like a crush or something, but…fuck. Forget I said that, please?”

Alaska laughed, a long infectious laugh that made Adore smile in spite of her wretched mood. “Consider it forgotten…But are you okay? Feeling a little left out?”

“I mean, I guess. I don’t know. I just saw my ex, who is now dating my former friend.”

“Ouch.”

“Why don’t we talk about you instead? What’s your story?” Adore asked her.

Wincing, Alaska sipped her drink. “Let’s not. I’m…sort of going through something.”

“Oh yeah? Worse than your friend fucking your girlfriend and then the two of them showing up and your ex asking you to fucking do SHOTS with them?”

“Uh…no…not worse than that.” Alaska shook her head. “More like…I’m in love with my friend, and she has no idea, and instead of telling her, I come to these things just to torture myself.”

Adore sulked for a few moments, and then sighed and said, “Fuck it. Do you wanna dance?”

“Sure!” Alaska could feel her mood shifting. She tossed back the rest of her drink and followed Adore onto the dance floor.

Adore’s hands circled her waist. “Your friend is a dumbass.”

Alaska giggled. “Thanks, I think?”

“I’m serious! You’re totally hot.”

“Shut up.”

“Fuck you, I will not!” Adore held her tighter. “Is she here?”

Alaska glanced to the side of the room, where Jinkx was laughing with someone. She nodded.

“Wanna make her jealous?”

“How are we gonna–” Alaska was cut off by Adore’s soft, warm mouth against hers, plush lips pressed to her, hands pulling her in by the waist. After her initial surprise, she relaxed into the kiss, winding her fingers in Adore’s long, messy hair and opening her mouth, letting her tongue inside. It had been so long, and she maybe responded a little too ardently. Maybe let it go on a little too long. Maybe pressed against her too hard…but damn, she felt good.

Adore pulled her head back, grinning wickedly, and whispered, “Is she looking?”

“Is…what…oh, shit.” Alaska suddenly remembered what she was doing and glanced to the side without moving her head. “Yeah, she’s looking,” she answered softly.

Adore kissed her again, sliding her hands down to her ass. Alaska’s heart raced and she whimpered slightly. Adore released her again and winked. “Happy New Year,” she said, sauntering away.

Alaska brought a hand to her mouth, watching her walk away with a slightly dazed expression. She caught Jinkx’s eye for a split second and then looked away, blushing.

Adore strolled up to Bianca and Courtney with en exceedingly smug expression, where Courtney was begging Bianca to dance.

“Please, B, come on?” Courtney batted her eyelashes.

Bianca chuckles. “Sorry, kiddo, I don’t dance.” She looked up and saw Adore. “Classy, bitch,” Bianca commented.

Adore laughed and snatched the drink out of her hand, taking a long sip. “What, I’m not allowed to have fun?”

“I didn’t say that.” Bianca grabbed her drink back. “Live your life. Maybe this one will put a ring on it and I can stop paying your damn rent.” Bianca raised her glass as Jinkx pulled her away to talk privately.

Courtney looked utterly confused. “What the hell did I miss?” she asked.

Adore rolled her eyes. “I made out with your friend Alaska on the dance floor.”

“What!? When?”

“While you were staring all googly-eyed at my sister.”

“Adore!” Courtney hissed in a deaf whisper. “For fuck’s sake…”

“Sorry. But like, maybe tone it down if you don’t want people to know.”

Courtney’s green eyes looked wounded. “Are you mad at me?”

Adore signed. “No, of course not. I just…you know, I miss my partner in crime. I’m sorry.”

“Well in that case, the next round is on me!” Courtney grinned and linked arms with Adore, pulling her back to the bar.

***

Jinkx’s nails dug into Bianca’s arm as she dragged her into a quiet corner.

“Jesus, Red, relax! What the fuck is your–”

Jinkx shoved Bianca against a wall. “Are your sister and Alaska a thing?”

“Who’s Alaska?”

“B! Pay fucking attention!”

“You mean the blonde on the dance floor?”

“YES!” Jinkx sighed, exasperated.

“I don’t know. I’m not Adore’s babysitter.”

Jinkx huffed.

“I mean I’ve never seen that girl before, but that doesn’t mean…you know Adore. She falls in love in 3 seconds.”

“Right,” Jinkx downed her champagne, wincing.

“Do you have a thing for the blonde?”

“What? No!! We’re just friends! I just…” she trailed off, and off Bianca’s know-it-all expression, punched her in the arm. “Fuck you very much, B!”

Bianca laughed. “Well, maybe you should talk to her instead of me.”

Jinkx fingered a lock of hair. “Yeah. Maybe.”

“Listen, Jinkxy. You know…you’re pretty fucking cool.”

“I know that.”

“So what are you afraid of?”

Jinkx looked up. Alaska was now on the dance floor, giggling, dancing with both Adore and Courtney. “I’m…gonna take off.”

“Before the ball drops?”

“Yeah,” she said. “And please don’t look at me like that, B. I’m not in the mood for your fucking judge-y eyes.”

“I’m not…Jinkx…come on…I’m sorry.” Bianca leaned in and kissed her softly on the cheek. “You know I love you, Red.”

“Thanks.” Jinkx smiled wistfully. “I’ll see you next year.”

***

“How has it taken you four months to put together a bedside table?”

Violet rolled her eyes, a wince leaving her as the move made her head pound.

“I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I’ve been kinda busy.”

Violet hadn’t meant to get sick on New Year’s eve, but Max had bought home soup for everyone for lunch, Violet switching her tomato with Trixie when he realised he had ordered clam soup by accident, Violet volunteering to trade side she didn’t really care anyway. She was only having soup because everyone else was, but oh, what a mistake it had turned out to be.

“Almost done.”

Sutan was sitting on the floor, his sleeves rolled up as he was putting together the last of Violet’s furniture that she had ordered back in August when she moved into the apartment.

Violet looked at Sutan, a small smile on her face. She couldn’t believe that he was actually there, in her room in her apartment, his glasses on as he did the last screw before he cleaned up after himself, her room looking totally different now that everything had been collected, the brown boxes she had lived with for months finally gone.

“Are you going to eat your fortune cookie, or can I have it?”

Violet had fully expected not to see Sutan at all that day, Katya helping her change into a pair of Trixie’s pink sweatpants and one of Max’s shirts, tucking her into bed before they all went to Fame’s party as they were supposed to. Everyone else dressed up, ready for a night out, expect Violet. She had meant to call Sutan, but she had been too embarrassed, too painfully aware of how disgusting she was while her body betrayed her, but then, just as she was about to sink into complete and utter misery, she had heard a knock on the door, Sutan coming in with a bags of Chinese food, snacks and medicine to help her feel better.

“Let’s open them together.”

Sutan got into bed with her, not caring that she was sticky and gross, his lips pressing a quick kiss to Violet’s hair before he settled in. Turned out Sutan had borrowed Katya’s key the moment he had found out Violet was sick, leaving the party, his friends and everyone behind to come see her and make sure she was okay.

“Mine says “you will conquer obstacles to achieve success”… Well, that doesn’t sound too bad… What about yours?” Violet looked up at Sutan.

“If you have something good in your life, don’t let it go.”

A loud bang went off outside, the sky lighting up with fireworks in a rainbow of colors, the New Year having ticked in with neither of them noticing.

“Oh God, is it midnight already? But we haven’t even, what about-”

Violet was silenced when Sutan leaned forward, his lips catching hers in a kiss, the cookies completely forgotten as Violet dropped them.

“Happy New Year, baby.”

“Happy New Year.”

***

“Three, two, one! Happy New Year!”

The little bar burst into cheers. Champagne glasses were clinking, corks popping, people making out, the music alive and cheerful as Pearl grabbed Laila by the waist and bent her backwards, Laila giggling, surprised. She was drunk enough to forget, forgive and have fun.

“Happy New Year, Laila. I promise I’ll make sure we’re together next New Year’s Eve, too.”

Laila sure hoped so, she realized, Pearl’s face the only point of focus in the blurry crowd, the party in full swing behind her back.

“Happy New Year, Pearl.” Laila bit her lips, Pearl diving in for a long, hot kiss as fireworks went out behind the windows.

***

It was almost morning when Laila was walking home from the bus stop, and everything happened so fast. One second she was minding her own business, refreshing Instagram on her phone, next second there was a screech of tires, a car swerving into a puddle of water, splashing Laila from head to toe with muddy, melted snow, the driver apparently trying to avoid a small animal that jumped over the car’s bonnet and ran, lightning speed, to hide in a hole between two buildings, behind a pile of trash.

“Fuck my life!” cursed Laila, quickly shaking the mud of her iPhone and wiping it against her jeans, before she remembered they were soaked as well. She hid the phone in her jacket pocket, deciding to check if the cat (she was pretty certain it was a cat) who just barely escaped death was alright.

Laila crouched on the pavement, removing a cardboard box before she could look at the animal. It was a tiny kitten, still very young, all ugly and soaked through, shaggy tricolor fur, one ear torn and bloody. The cat was shaking, looking at Laila with its bright blue eyes, its only beautiful feature.

“Hey there, ugly. You okay?” Laila tried to touch the cat, careful not to cause it any pain. The kitten didn’t try to run for it, it just sat there, shivering under Laila’s hand, it’s miserable meowing tearing Laila’s heart into pieces. “Know what? I think you need help. You’re going with me. Come on.” She hauled the cat up, the animal light as a feather, it’s sharp nails immediately sticking to Laila’s jacket sleeve as she carried it, the tiny animal not shutting up for a second. “I know it hurts. I know. Don’t worry, I got you.”

It wasn’t the first time Laila found herself saving an animal from the street; she used to do it all the time in college, bringing in a stray almost every other month, Thorgy always raising a questioning eyebrow at her, but becoming the animal’s biggest cheerleader by day two, always making sure it found a good home after they nursed it to health. But that was years ago and Laila never took in a stray in New York for one simple reason: her landlord would flip a shit.

“The landlord doesn’t need to know, right? You’ll be healthy in no time and I’ll find someone to take good care of you. I can’t left you to freeze to death.” Laila spoke to the cat calmly, happy that it stopped meowing as she hid it with her jacket while walking the stairs to her apartment. Once inside, she carefully locked the door, letting the cat to the floor. “See? You’re safe now. Let’s give you some water and then a bath, how about that?”

Half an hour later the kitty was sitting on Laila’s bed, wrapped in a towel as she was feeding it canned tuna straight from her hand, forgetting that she was tired as hell after a shift at the bar and that her pants were still wet from the puddle. Instead, she managed to figure out the cat was a boy, didn’t have any visible injuries except for the torn ear, and, obviously, it was very hungry.

“How do I call you? Ugly? Burrito? Maybe Turbo? What do you think?” She scratched the kitty behind his ear, admiring the colors of his fur that started to show only after the bath. “We gotta buy you some kitten food and take you to the vet, but it’s…” she fumbled for her phone, “it’s only 4 AM. Can you wait a while, Turbo?” The name just seemed to fit, making Laila think of the speed in which the cat escaped the car that almost hit him.

The cat started purring quietly, Laila’s soft touch calming it down. Now that she was sure nothing bad was going to happen, Laila went to the bathroom, washed her hands and face and squirmed out of her soaked jeans. After she got back, she grabbed her phone and snapped a photo of the sleeping kitty that curled up on a towel right next to her pillow.

Laila laughed to herself, sending a photo to Pearl without a caption.

From: Pearl, 7:30 AM

Girl wtf

***

“Are you excited about getting your cast off?”

“You have no idea.” Violet was sitting in her bed, leaning up against her headboard, her leg propped up on some pillows. She was getting her cast off the next day, so her doctor had told her to keep as still as possible to let the bone relax and give it time for the homestretch. “I can’t wait to climb a staircase and not fear for my life.”

Pearl laughed. The woman was in Violet’s room, helping her get the last of her clothing put away from the moving boxes that had been a part of Violet’s room since she had moved in. Pearl would never say, but she had always found it hilarious that Violet was so neat and organized in every aspect of her life but this.

“Done!” Pearl smiled brightly, slamming the door to the wardrobe shut as she had just hung up the last of Violets summer dresses. Pearl jumped onto the other womans bed, making Violet shriek as the shook had bounced her.

“Pearl, Pearl, stop!” Violet grabbed Pearl’s shoulder, trying to stop moving. “You’re hurting me!”

“Oh God, shit, fuck, I’m sorry!”

Pearl stopped jumping, her arm around Violet’s waist, keeping her still, the two all of a sudden sitting very close together. Pearl could feel Violet’s breath on her face, the girls looking at each other. Violet reached up, touching Pearl’s necklace.

“I love this… Is it new?”

“You do?” Pearl smiled, trying to look down at it herself. “It was a Christmas gift.”

“From whom?” Violet was touching the small pearl, a smile playing on her lips.

“Laila. I was super surprised, it’s so thoughtful I almost cried, and look, it’s a pearl too, like my name!”

“Yes, very clever.”

Pearl flopped down on the bed, curling up with her head in Violet’s lap. Violets hands glided through Pearls hair, her long fingers playing with the strands, the two girls falling into comfortable silence.

“You know what?”

“What?”

“I think I love her.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.” Violet looked at Pearl, the woman all smiles, looking for all intense and purposeful like a cat in a sunbeam, a satisfied smirk on her face as she continued to talk. “Like, I love her love her…Like… If she asked if I wanted to move in with her tomorrow, I’d say yes.”

“Really? I hope you’re not moving… The apartment would be so empty without you.” Violet was finishing up the fishbraid in Pearl’s hair.

“Hey, wanna watch something?”

“As long as I don’t have to move.”

“I’ll go get my laptop.”

***

Courtney padded down the hall to the spa, wrapped in a fluffy, luxurious robe. She’d just finished an 80-minute massage and she felt as soft and cared for as a newborn baby. After sunrise yoga and a long hike, being pampered felt even better. She spotted Adore in the hot tub and floated over, hanging her robe on one of the hooks and stepping down into the steaming hot water.

“Wow Court, really taking that ‘clothing optional’ policy to heart, huh?”

“If it’s clothing optional, why would you wear clothes?” Courtney asked, hands on her hips.

“Hey, I’m not complaining! Personally, I don’t like having my pussy out in public, that’s all.”

“The jets feel nicer without a bathing suit,” Courtney told her. She tugged on the string tying Adore’s bikini bottoms, grinning.

Adore splashed her and they both giggled, getting a dirty look from a middle-aged woman nearby. “So who are you thinking of when those jets are feeling so nice?”

“Shut up, Adore.” Courtney blushed and Adore laughed.

“Sorry. How was your massage?”

“It was amazing. I may have cried.”

“You cried?”

“Yeah, I don’t know, it felt like this release…I can’t explain it. Whatever. How was yours?”

“Awesome. My therapist was super hot.”

Courtney sank down deeper into the water, closing her eyes. “Why can’t life be like this all the time?”

“Uh. It can. My life is pretty much like this all the time.”

Courtney stuck her tongue out at Adore, who laughed.

“Yes ma'am. Living the dream 24/7.”

“Congratulations,” Courtney told her, then good-naturedly muttered, “…bitch.”

Adore grabbed her and dunked her under the water. Courtney came up sputtering and laughing.

The older woman was now outright glaring at them.

“Sorry ma’am, but she needed to be baptized,” explained Adore. “Cleansed of all the evil, impure thoughts she’s having…about…” she cut her eyes at Courtney and mouthed, “BIANCAAAA…”

Courtney giggled and moved back to the jets. “Shut UP, Adore.”

***

Fame was tapping her fingers against her desk in annoyance. She had been working on mood boards for the upcoming weeks of work in design for fashion week, and while it was coming together, her colors and main fabric choices in place, she was still stuck, the pieces of the puzzle in front of her refusing to slot in.

Fame walked to her desk, doing what she always did whenever she was stuck, which was kickstarting everything with an orgasm. She picked up her desk phone, her finger automatically already pressing half the numbers for Pearl’s personal phone before she realised that no, Pearl couldn’t come to her office anymore, their arrangement over.

Fame sat down in her chair, blowing a piece of hair away from her face. She missed the blonde, but maybe it was for the best that Pearl had finally found someone she loved. Fame sighed before she leaned back, her own hand slowly sliding up her thigh, her eyes closing as she thought of her husband.

***

“So is this your regular gym?”

“It’s cheap and has multiple locations, including one near your apartment. Are you going to complain the whole time we’re here?” Violet looked at Sutan, a smile on her face as she pulled her hair up into a ponytail.

“I’m not complaining”

“You are, and you’re the one who wanted to come anyway, so why are you all grumpy?”

“Well someone took forever to get ready.”

Violet laughed. “I’m sorry… You’ll have to wait a little longer then, but I promise I’ll be quick!”

Sutan rolled his eyes, but the smile on his face told her he wasn’t really all that mad. He got his phone out of his pocket before he sat down, checking his email. Violet sighed a little at the sight of his phone as she walked over to a mat. The stupid thing was never far away, and she was getting a little annoyed since she always had to fight it for attention, but that was a worry for another time. She closed her eyes, a rush of happiness rolling over her while she did her stretches, finally finally finally able to get a full round of motion going as she allowed her limbs to loosen up and get warm. She bent over, her palms touching the floor before she went up again, her back in a graceful arch.

It felt amazing, getting to move again was amazing, Violet had already booked a yoga class for the next day and she was beyond excited to go back. She hadn’t expected it, but after her fourth week in the cast she had gotten an email from her yoga instructor, asking if she was okay since he hadn’t seen her in weeks. It had felt a little creepy at the time, but Violet was also touched at the fact that he had noticed she was missing.

Sutan knew his eyes were glued to Violet’s body, but she looked utterly perfect, her chest covered by a strappy black sports bra, her yoga pants making her legs look impossibly long and her ass perfect. Sutan spotted the tape Violet had wrapped around her toes and her ankle for support. He knew he was being overprotective, but the last weeks has been hard on both of them, Violet fiercly independent and it had taken forever for them to find a routine where Sutan had forced Violet to go to a specialist for new workout gear, which meant Violet was wearing brand new running shoes, custom made to support her feet.

“Done!” Violet could feel Sutan’s eyes on her, his blasted phone forgotten for a while, and she couldn’t help doing one last stretch with her arms over her head just to show off.

“Is it cool if we just run for a while?”

Violet looked at Sutan, expecting an answer from him.

“Sure! Whatever you want”

Sutan nodded, vowing to himself that he would keep an eye on her so she wouldn’t push herself too hard.

Soon however, Sutan realised just how wrong he had been. It wasn’t Violet he should be worried about at all, but himself instead. He had started his machine at the same pace as Violet, thinking he could easily keep up, but after 2 miles he started to feel winded, after 3 he dialed down the speed on his and once they hit the 4 mile mark he was practically dying, relief washing over him as Violet slowed down, finally coming to a stop. Sutan was gasping for breath, completely exhausted, bent over his machine, trying to get his breathing back to normal went he felt Violet press her water bottle into his hand.

“Here.”

Sutan grabbed it and chugged half of it right away, the cold liquid feeling wonderful in his throat. It was only after he had emptied the entire bottle that he realised that Violet had barely even broken a sweat, her cheeks a pretty blushed color.

“How are you not..” Sutan gestured to Violet and the fact that she looked completely okay.

“Well.. First of all, I went slow.” Sutan nodded, understanding the logic but hating the fact that the speed they had been running at was Violet’s slow. “And second of all, I don’t smoke constantly when I promised I wouldn’t.” Violet smiled, a sweet and innocent expression on her face.

“You know about that?”

“Of course I do. I can smell it on your clothes.”

Sutan remember back to all the ridiculously things he had done to try to hide his smoking from Violet when he was being bad. He had promised her, in a fit of wanting to be better that he would try to cut down, and he had done that, though only in front of Violet where he had done everything he could to hide the fact that he was still smoking like a chimney. Sutan remembered how he had hung out of windows at work, trying to keep the smell off his clothes, how he had been standing underneath the exhaust hood in his own kitchen and all the half smoked cigarettes he had thrown away right before Violet came close.

“So I’ve been bending over backwards for nothing?”

“Kinda, but I appreciate the effort.” Violet leaned it, their lips meeting in a kiss. “My sweet, sweaty monster man.”

***

COURTNEY: Hey Bianca, it’s Courtney. I just wanted to thank you again for this weekend. It was probably one of the best weekends of my life. I can’t even wrap my mind around the fact that it really happened, to be honest. I hope someday I can repay you. XO

Bianca thought for a long time about how to respond. There were so many things she wanted to say, but not in a text.

BIANCA: Glad you had fun. No repayment necessary! See you soon. <3

***

Courtney hurried down the hallway, arms full of sample albums from the makeup team, on her way back to Fame’s office, going over her mental checklist of things to do. Call the new dog walker, reschedule marketing lunch with Alyssa and Pearl, confirm travel for Europe, turn in receipts to Patrick for their taxes, set up meetings with the casting team for fashion week, touch base with all of the Fashion Week vendors to get things started, confirm Fame’s dinner reservations for the week, go through the stack of invitations that were piling up and find out which parties Fame wanted to attend over the next month, have accounting cut checks for the three charities Galactica decided to support, find–

Her train of thought got interrupted as she collided with someone and the sample albums in her arms went flying. She dropped to the ground, scooping them back into her arms, flustered. “Shit! I mean…oh, jeez, I’m sorry.”

“Here, let me help you,” said a male voice. He picked up the farthest book and handed it over. She looked up to thank the voice and her mouth dropped open. Kneeling over her, his dumb shaggy hair falling into his eyes, was Willam.

He swept his fringe to the side, tucking it back in place. A sharp suit jacket accentuated the bright color of his eyes, and the signature smirk on his lips had a sad twist to it. But the worst thing was the “employee” badge, hanging nonchalantly from his pants pocket.

“Hey, cotton candy. What happened to the pink hair? I almost didn’t recognize you.”

Courtney clutched the albums to her chest, shocked and appalled, breath leaving her in gasps, her insides twisting, Willam in the flesh right in front of her. She stood quickly and turned on her heels, feeling an acidic burn in her stomach, running away as fast as she could, barely reaching the nearest bathroom where she locked herself in a stall and threw up into the toilet, desperately trying to stop angry tears from falling.

/This is a bad dream, I’ll wake up in my bed in a few minutes and laugh at it while I brush my teeth. This cannot be true./

But when she went back to her front office on shaky legs, there was a Post-It note placed right in the middle of her computer screen.

/I’m sorry, Court./

She tore the note up into one hundred tiny pieces and threw them into the trash can angrily, breaking into tears.

Why was seeing Willam affecting her so deeply? She hadn’t thought about him in months. She tried to take a deep breath. Maybe it wasn’t Willam. Maybe it was the idea of rejection that was freaking her out. Reliving the humiliation she felt when she found out the truth about him. Because if she thought about it, there was only one person she really wanted lately. And it wasn’t WILLAM. She attempted to wipe her eyes with a now soggy tissue.

Through blurred vision, she tried to read an alert that popped up on her computer. CONFIRM FLIGHTS/HOTELS FOR EUROPE BY 5 PM, it read. She dismissed the note and opened her email, then searched for the message from the travel agent. She’d gotten the okay from Fame just that morning to book. She scanned the email, about to reply. That’s when she noticed the date on the bottom. “Confirm by December  6,” it said. Her stomach dropped to her feet. Today was JANUARY 6th. She’d put it on the calendar wrong.

Her heart hammered in her chest as she dialed the number for Victoria, Fame’s travel agent. She could hear Violet’s voice in her head. Don’t bother Victoria unless it’s a real emergency. But the voice that answered the phone was unfamiliar, one of the girls that normally only worked after-hours. She informed her that Victoria was out of the country, but they’d be happy to help. Courtney gave the itinerary numbers and the voice laughed. “Those seats were gone long ago, sweetie. Maybe we can try economy?”

In a small, shaky voice, Courtney told her “nevermind,” and hung up, her head in her hands. This was bad. This was very very bad. How in the fuck was she supposed to fix this? She thought about calling Violet but what could she do? Conjure up flights that didn’t exist out of thin air? Yell at her, which she deserved, but ultimately wouldn’t help her or Fame or the company.

Courtney suddenly realized that she hadn’t breathed in almost a minute and gulped for air. Her throat felt constricted and her skin felt hot and then she couldn’t sit at that desk for one more second. She jumped up and ran for the door, slinging her bag over her shoulder and ignoring Roxie’s voice calling after her.

***

“Laila, I know I’m a lesbian, but I swear to you, I’m not gay enough for a cat” Pearl groaned, flicking the non-existent cat fur away from Laila’s bed before she sat down. Pearl had come over with takeaway for the girls so they could split lunch, Pearl’s laptop in her bag along with her phone, so she could get some work done from Laila’s apartment.

“Well I am, so you’re gonna have to deal with it.” Laila kissed Turbo on the nose before she put him gently on the floor, the kitty trotting to Pearl who pulled her legs up on the bed, avoiding contact with the small furry creature. Pearl had a box of Thai in her hands, taking a bite.

“He’s gonna leave cat fur everywhere, and his fur has like three different colors! There’s no way my clothes will ever be clean again.” She sighed.

Laila didn’t really care about Pearl’s complaints as she stuffed her fridge with kitten food. She had taken Turbo to the vet already: the kitten was about six to eight weeks old, underfed, but mostly healthy. His ear wound got cleared and was supposed to heal alright, and Laila already set up an appointment to spay him in two weeks, as well as bought all the necessary cat equipment at a pet store. In a few weeks, she was planning to go on Facebook to find the kitty a good home when he was healthy.

“Does he have a name?” asked Pearl, watching the kitty play with a sock he found on the floor.

“Yeah, I named him Turbo. It fits him, don’t you think?”

“I don’t know… He’s so ugly, maybe we should call him Uggs.” Pearl threw her container of food into Laila’s trashcan, even though she hadn’t eaten more than a few bites.

“Don’t be mean to my cat, Pearl. How would you feel like if somebody called you ugly?”

“I’d laugh?” Pearl snorted, a smile on her face. “Also,  /your/ cat? You said it’s just for a while. Are you sure you’re not going to keep him?”

“I mean, yeah, of course it’s for a while. But it’s my cat now. For a while. Get it?”

“I guess”, sighed Pearl, reluctantly reaching out to pet Turbo, who ignored her, munching on Laila’s dirty sock. “I already love your pussy, so I guess I can accept another one.”

***

“Come on, you can totally finish this.”

“No, Katya, I’m so full.”

“It’s your favooriiite. Come on big boy, you can do it.” Katya smiled as Trixie rolled his eyes, reluctantly opening his mouth, letting Katya feed him the last of the Chunky Monkey ice cream she had stuffed into his tummy on top of the pizza he had eaten. The Emperor’s New Groove was playing in the background, and Trixie leaned back into the pillows, his hands trying to go to his aching belly, but Katya stopped him, her own much smaller hands running over him, gently kneading his skin, making his eyes roll back into his head for a totally different reason.

“You’ve been so good today.” Katya smirked, her eyes sparkling with joy. “My big, handsome, talented boy.” Trixie squirmed, his sleep shorts uncomfortably tight both because of his belly, but also because Katya’s praise made him ever so hard, but he knew better than to touch himself, knew what she wanted from him.

“Please…”

“I can’t hear you, baby.”

“Please, touch me, please, I need - ”

“Ssh, ssh, mommy will take care of you.”

Trixie almost shed a tear from relief when Katya reached into his pants, her hand wrapping around his member, a small moan leaving him, just as the door flew open, Trannika flying in like a tornado.

“Guys!!!” she screamed, not stopping upon seeing what they were doing, Katya muttering “Whoops” and removing her hand. Trixie was about to be driven to insanity, unsure which feeling was dominating him now: being horny or being mad at his stupid sister. “Guys! Get up and get dressed, there’s an animal rights rally in East Village and you’re coming with me.”

“Trannika, what the hell. It’s 10 PM, and we’re going to sleep.”

“Who are you, old people? There will be TV coverage and we need some crowds, so please please please come with me! I’ll let you carry my banner!” She unveiled the black rag she was holding, letters painted in white surrounded by bad drawings of little animals. FUCK YEAH ANIMAL RIGHTS, said the banner. Trixie could feel Katya shaking with stifled laughter.

“I wouldn’t carry that banner if you paid me to. And oh my God, I’m begging you, don’t make me bail you out of jail again. And please leave us alone.”

“Alright. You guys are the scum of planet Earth, you know? There are countless animal lives on the line, and you’d rather stay home fucking. Disgusting. I’m gonna go ask Max if he wants to go with me.”

“Godspeed! Shut the door please!” yelled Trixie, Trannika almost slamming the door after her. As soon as she was gone, Katya finally burst out laughing.

“Her banner-making skill are something else, aren’t they?” she giggled, falling on top of Trixie, reminding him what they were doing before Trannika decided to ruin the moment.

***

Bianca shook her, head, rifling through Adore’s closet. “Bitch, you are a goddamn MESS. Is this gold skirt the one you wore in junior high?”

“Yes, and it’s still cute!!” Adore cried. She pouted at Bianca and said in a baby voice, “Pwease, B, pwease wet me keep it.”

Bianca rolled her eyes. “Baby girl. Listen to me. You will never fit this again. Like ever.”

“ARE YOU CALLING ME FAT?” Adore screeched.

Bianca just looked at her up and down, not saying a word, one eyebrow slightly cocked.

“Fine!” Adore huffed, trying not to giggle in spite of herself. Her sister helping her clean out her closet was long overdue, and even though she’d been acting like a petulant child the whole time, she had to admit that she was having a LITTLE fun.

Bianca threw a few more items into the “donate” pile along with the gold skirt.

Adore picked up her cell and walked to her bed, flinging herself down as it started to ring. “Since you’re already fat-shaming me, Imma order a pizza.”

“Please get me a salad too!” Bianca requested.

“Oh my god, you are so fucking annoying!” Adore exclaimed, then said into the phone, “OMIGOD, not you sir, I’m so sorry, I was talking to my cunt sister.” She proceeded to place the order as frantic banging sounded at the front door. “B, get the door!” Adore ordered.

“Sure, not like I’m doing the all the fucking work or or anything,” Bianca grumbled, heading to the door and opening it, to find a distressed and nearly hysterical Courtney, black eye makeup streaked down her face, leaning on the door frame and crying so hard that she was gasping for breath.

“Is…Adore…h-home…?” Courtney managed to choke out.

“Oh my god, honey, come in. Yes. What happened?” Bianca pulled Courtney inside, wrapping her into a gentle hug.

Courtney leaned on her shoulder. She could smell B’s expensive perfume and though normally that would make her sick, thinking about all the pretentious jerks at Galactica who cut her down all the time, there was something about the warm and tropical scent that was instantly comforting.

Bianca held the trembling girl to her, stroking her hair and wondering if kissing the tears off her cheeks would be inappropriate and deciding OF COURSE IT FUCKING WOULD! Jesus. What was wrong with her? She wondered if it was weird to be holding her so long, but Courtney was clinging to her so tightly that how could she possibly let go?

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry…” Courtney repeated in a voice so soft that Bianca could barely hear her.

“Sorry about what, baby?” Bianca took both of her hands and led her slowly to Adore’s lumpy purple sofa. She put an arm around her, still feeling her shoulders shaking and heaving.

“Because…I c-can’t…I can’t do anything right. I’m terrible at my job, I screw everything up, I’ll never be as good as Violet, I’m just…I’m just worthless.” She put her head back onto Bianca’s shoulder and cried even harder, as Bianca rocked her slowly.

Adore came out of the bedroom, a look of confusion and concern on her face. “What the fuck?” she asked, “Is she okay?”

Bianca waved her away. “I got it. You have the bedside manner of a rottweiler. Go sort your shoes. Anything with broken heels or pleather gets thrown out.”

Adore left the room, tossing back one last look of concern over her shoulder, but knowing that Bianca was probably much better suited than her for dealing with what appeared to be some kind of existential meltdown. Poor Courtney. Adore couldn’t imagine trying to hold a damn day job.

“First of all, baby, no one is good at being an assistant. It’s a shitty job–”

“Violet was p-perfect.”

“Violet is a goddamn stepford robot cunt. I mean that no one with a SOUL is good at being an assistant. You only do it to get your foot in the door; to learn more about the industry you are passionate about, to–”

“But I don’t WANT to learn more about fashion!”

“Wait a second…then why are you there?” Bianca picked up a tissue from the side table and began to dab at Courtney’s cheeks, still holding one of her hands, softly stroking the baby-smooth skin, well aware that she was overstepping her bounds, again, but unable to help herself.

“Because…I don’t know. It’s a good job. I was lucky to get an interview, even. I need a job. I used to model. I figured…I don’t know.” Tears continued to stream from her eyes.

“Okay. Well, yeah, but modeling is not a job. It’s a hobby that occasionally pays well. Working at a fashion house is a goddamn GRIND. It’s cutthroat and nasty and if you are not obsessed with it, killing yourself for this job is CRAZY!”

Courtney began to cry harder. “But I’m so lucky! There’s–”

“Yeah, yeah, a million girls would kill for that job. That’s BULLSHIT, Court.” Bianca pulled her in for another hug, rubbing her back. “You should not be this distressed over Miss Fucking Fame. Okay? She’s a nice person and I’ve been friends with her for a long time, but I wouldn’t work for that moody perfectionist for a billion dollars a year. And I say that as someone who has literally sucked dick for money. I mean I was very young and all, but like, I’m a lesbian. It was disgusting.”

“Who on earth likes sucking dick? Blech.”

Bianca threw back her head and laughed, making Courtney’s insides light up with warmth. “I don’t know, but gay dudes certainly seem to love it. My friends Danny and Shane say that they crave cum the way I crave chocolate.”

“Gross.”

Bianca smoothed Courtney’s hair back and gently took her shoulders, holding her lightly. “So…let’s pretend that you didn’t need this job that barely pays the bills in New York. What would you be doing? Like, money is not an issue and you could do anything.”

Courtney looked down and nervously played with the hem of her skirt. “It’s such a cliché.”

“Baby, no offense, but you’re a pretty blonde girl working in the fashion industry. You’re already a cliché. Tell me. What would you do?”

Courtney giggled and wiped the last stray tear from her eye. “Well…I mean…I want to be a singer. Like, I write music and I think I’m…okay. You know, not bad. And I take dance classes and I really think maybe I could be like..a recording artist. Or on Broadway. Or something. I don’t really know but–”

“Do you have anything you’ve written with you? Or a performance on youtube or something?”

Courtney blushed furiously. “I have…I did a thing at an open mic night last month. It’s not…I don’t know if I–”

“Show me now.”

Courtney shivered a little at Bianca’s dominant tone. She pulled out her phone and found the video, then started to play it and handed the phone overa. Her cheeks burned and she turned away, curling into a furry throw pillow to avoid eye contact.

Bianca quietly watched the performance. It wasn’t great sound quality and the videographer was clearly a little drunk as Courtney kept going in and out of focus whenever they swayed. At one point Bianca realized that it was Adore filming her and then it all made sense. But the song…It was sweet and sexy and Courtney’s whole vibe was this alluring cross between Miley Cyrus and Britney Spears and a little 90s throwback-y. Her mother must have been into the Spice Girls and TLC. When the video ended, Bianca turned to Courtney on the sofa, where her face was buried in a pillow. She put a gentle hand on Courtney’s shoulder, but the blonde still wouldn’t turn to look at her.

“Court. At the risk of sounding like your mother….you need to quit. You need to keep writing your music and perform and get a recording contract.”

Courtney turned to her, wide green eyes still red and puffy. “I can’t do that, Bianca. If I don’t get my paycheck this month, I literally don’t make rent.”

“So? I have a guest room.”

“Bianca–”

“Listen to me. You are fucking talented. And I’m not just saying that because you’re hot. Although that’s a great bonus because the record companies are gonna LOVE you.”

“How do I even meet record company people? I’ve been in New York for almost 5 years, if you count college, and I haven’t–”

“Darling. Please. I know EVERYONE. And I’ll make sure you get a deal without having to suck any dicks. AND I won’t even take 10%,” she winked. “How does that sound?”

Courtney’s mind reeled, a million miles a minute. “I…I don’t know if I can accept this kind of…I just…I just can’t go back there. I can’t fix…” Her eyes filled with tears again as she tried to put her thoughts into some kind of coherent sentence. What would Bianca want in return? And why did she not care? She wasn’t scared, wasn’t sad anymore, she was actually…excited? She tried to take a deep, slow breath.

Bianca pulled her in for another hug. “Baby, I promise it’ll be okay. Just…please let me take care of you,” she whispered. So fucking what if she was overstepping?

Courtney nodded into her neck. “Okay,” she whispered back, relief washing over her in waves as she relaxed into Bianca’s arms.

***

“Courtney! Where is my coffee, Courtney, I have been calling for you forever, where are you?!” Fame stepped out of her office, saw that Courtney’s desk was actually empty and the girl hadn’t just stepped away. Fame grabbed the phone on Courtney’s desk and called Roxy.

“Where is Courtney?”

Roxy checked the key cards on the computer. “Courtney went home yesterday at 4:30.”

“What? She wasn’t suppose to leave before 8.”

Roxy went up to Fame’s office and called Courtney’s work cell. It went to voicemail immediately. Roxy dialed her personal cell while Fame paced around the office muttering things like “irresponsible…selfish…childish…”

“I remember her leaving yesterday…she ran out like she was on fire. Are you sure you don’t have any messages from her, Miss?”

Fame shot Roxy a dirty look and she shrank back. Courtney’s personal phone went to voicemail twice. At the same time, she used the admin password to get into her computer and checked her email. 1,495 unread emails. Well that seemed about right. Christ.

There was an unsent message in her drafts folder, and Roxy opened it. “Ummm, Miss?” She gestured nervously to the screen and Fame marched over. The email was very short and unfinished - obviously a first draft:

 _Dear Miss Fame,_  
This is my official resignation. I am so sorry. I know you gave me many chances and I can’t  
I am not right for this job, you deserve someone better.  
I can’t pretend to  
I’m so sorry, again  
I

Fame slammed her hands on the desk. “Fuck! That inconsiderate little…ugh! We have back to back meetings this week and we need to get started on the planning for Bryant Park; we have under a month, how is this ever going to work without a first assistant? What is WRONG with kids these days?!”

Roxy had been dialing the phone while Fame fretted, and when the other line answered, said, “I have Miss Fame for you…one moment…” She put the caller on hold and held out the receiver.

Fame frowned. “Who is that?”

Roxy smiled. “Who do you think?”

Fame grabbed the receiving, sighing. “Hi Violet. I have some rather unfortunate news…”

Once Fame had the phone, Roxy clicked on Courtney’s Task List window and her eyes bulged, scanning down the list.

***

“I am /so/ excited, I can’t wait to show you around!” Raven was excitedly dancing around in her seat in the airport. Her, Raja, Sutan and Violet were on their way to Aspen for their winter break. They had been delayed by a few weeks because of Violet’s leg, but now they were finally on their way. For Raven it was her first trip with Raja for almost a year where neither of them would be working, and she had been looking forward to it for months. The fact that it was Sutan and Violet’s first trip together was just a bonus, but one she appreciated none the less.

“There’s this little cafe in town that sells the loveliest hot cocoa, you’ll love it!” Raven said with a big smile.

“Really?”

“I’m just happy that I don’t have to think about work for a little while.” Raja sighed, taking a sip of the hot mint tea she was having with her breakfast.

“When is our flight scheduled to leave again, TanTan?” Raja asked, empting 3 packets of sugar into her tea, before taking another sip.

“We were supposed to board at 9:30 but they had to push it back until 10 because there’s ice on the runway.” Sutan looked up from his phone since he was getting the last of his work emails out of the way. Sutan snapped a quick picture of everyone at the table, sending it to their mom to tell her that they were well on their way.

Raven cocked her head to the side as if in deep thought, “It will still be morning time by the time we get to Colorado, so it’s not that bad.”

"Oh.. Okay…” Violet smiled, just about to say something more when she was interrupted by her phone, the melody of Fame’s work phone ringing out. “That’s odd..”

“What?” Sutan looked at Violet.

“Oh, nothing, nothing, just, one moment, I’ll be right back.” Violet got up from their table, quickly pressing answer.

“Hello?”  
  
Violet recognised Roxy’s voice, telling her to hold on before the phone was picked up again.

"Hi Violet, I have some rather unfortunate news.”

“Fame? Is everything okay? Are you okay?”

“Have you landed in Colorado or are you still in New York?”

Violet could feel her stomach clench, the tone of Fame’s voice telling her that something terrible had happened.

"Yes.. Yes I am.. Our flight was delayed… Can you… What’s wrong?”

"I have to ask you to come back to the office.” Fame’s voice was soft, but it left no room for arguments.

“What? Why? Miss, I…”

"Unbeknownst to me, Courtney has apparently quit without any warning. I have to ask you to please come back to work. The mess left behind is far too great for anyone outside of the company to deal with it. Do you still remember how to be an assistant?”

“Of course, but, I-”

“Good, I’m sending a car for you. I expect you to be here at 12 at the latest, go home and change if you need to.”

“Miss, I… Please, I…”

"I know Violet, but you have to come in. Roxy has just informed me we don’t have a venue, or flights for Europe…the front row list hasn’t been made…the models haven’t been notified, we don’t have lights or sound or camera crews for that matter… items for gift bags–Enough, Roxy, I think she’s catching on!” Fame snapped, then her voice went gentle again as she spoke to Violet, “The event is less than a month away, and it seems like we have to start all over again.”

"So nothing is done? Nothing at all?” Violet asked, bile rising in her throat as she clenched her phone. She couldn’t refuse Fame, not when the woman reached out to her like this, but that amount of work in so little time? Violet felt dizzy.

“Absolutely nothing.”

Violet felt like she was living a nightmare. This wasn’t how this was suppose to go. She wasn’t supposed to think about work, think about New York, or think about the potential disaster that Fame was calling on her to help fix. This was suppose to be the first time in forever where she would have time to relax, to do thing at her own pace, but of course that wasn’t what life had lined up for her. Violet took a deep breath, willing herself not to cry as she answered Fame.

“I’ll be right there Miss.”

“Violet, hurry up! Your coffee’s getting cold!” Raven greeted Violet with a smile, but as Violet came closer, they all realised that she looked like she had just seen a ghost.  
  
“Violet, baby, are you okay?” Sutan stood up, walking to meet her.   
  
"I…  I have to go back into work… I’m sorry….”

“Wait, what? Why? Did you forget something?” Sutan looked down at Violet, his hand on her arm. “We’re boarding in 30, if you need something we can get it for you in Aspen, don’t worry, okay? It’ll be fine.”

Violet shook her head, she couldn’t even meet Sutan’s eyes since shame was crawling over her entire body, making her skin feel like it was on fire. Violet tore her gaze away from her shoes, forcing herself to look at Sutan, but she only made it to his chest before she had to stop. "Fame’s assistant quit. I have to go fill in, so I won’t make the flight… I’m sorry.”

“Courtney quit?” Raja asked slowly.

Violet nodded, her stomach cramping even more when Raja joined the conversation. “Nothing has been done, it’s… There’s…” Violet tried to speak, but her tongue was tied, the words swelling up in her throat, refusing to get out.

"Raven. Come.”  
  
“What?”   
  
Raven looked over at Raja, her fiancee grabbing her bag, already looking for her cigarettes. “I have to walk, if I stay seated I’m losing it, that fucking blonde lunatic. I’m calling Fame. Stay here. This sounds insane.”

The two women disappeared, Raven quickly leaning in to give Violet’s cheek a kiss before they were gone, Raja already dialing Fame’s number.

Violet finally met Sutan’s eyes, bile rising in her throat again when she saw, really saw the hurt, the worry and the confusion in the eyes of her lover. Violet she reached out, her voice low as she spoke, Sutan thankfully not flinching away from her her fingers wrapping around his elbow, connecting them in a desperate attempt to ground both herself and him. “I… I didn’t… It’s not… I’m so sorry.” Violet felt a pair of arms around her, the familiar scent of Sutan filling her nose when he pulled her in, her head against his chest, his lips on her temple, their bodies locked in a tight embrace, as if he were shielding her from the world.

“Do you want me to stay too mata indah?”

Violet felt like crying. She hadn’t heard the nickname from him in weeks, and it broke her heart even more. “No… No… It’s… “ Violet took a deep breath, letting Sutan’s presence keep her safe, keep her protected, keep her from herself. “You’ve been looking forward to this for weeks, you and Raja always go, you love Aspen, you told me how much you love it..”

“I do, but I love you more.”

Violet couldn’t hold back anymore, a sob leaving her as she started to cry. She didn’t know what was worse. Disappointing Sutan, rejecting the generous gift he had given her, rejecting him when all he ever asked for was her company, or the weight she could already feel on her chest, the endless work in front of her making it difficult to breath as she thought she had finally finally finally gotten away from it all, and now it seemed like she had to take another trip through purgatory.

“I’m sorry, I’m so so sorry.”

“Sshh, sshh, Violet, Violet, hey, hey.” Sutan cupped Violet’s chin, making her look at him, a handkerchief in his other as he cleaned her tears. “We can go next year, okay? Don’t worry.”

Violet nodded slowly.

“Now let me call you a cab so you can get to work safely, don’t think about your luggage or the trip, I’ll take care of everything.”

Violet felt a fresh burst of tears coming on, the fact that Sutan had accepted her so completely, that he had just opened up his arms and his heart and forgiven her already, made her able to breath; a little of her anxiety already gone.

“I think you should go before Raven gets back; if she sees you here you’ll never make it out alive. Go see if it’s really as bad as Fame made it out to be, come join us if you can, and if not we’ll figure things out, okay?”

Violet nodded. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”


	21. Chapter 21

“Do you want jelly or plain?”

“Jelly, who do you think I am? Violet?”

Pearl laughed as she sat down, two plates of toast in her hand, one of them going to Trixie who was booting up the playstation. The two where dressed in their bathrobes, neither really awake but they hadn’t really had any bro time in forever, so the day before they had made a pact to get up early, get breakfast and get some more bitches in GTA.

Pearl took a sip of her coffee before she grabbed the controller, the two falling into comfortable silence as they cruised around.

“Dude, you should totally get Katya a car like this!”

“What? A mercedes? Do you want her to get killed?”

Pearl rolled her eyes. “Obviously not, stop being so overprotective, daddy bear, she could just drive it around Manhattan, I mean… She’s used to all these jewels and shit and now, because of you, she wears plastic bead necklaces made by her preschoolers when she’s being fancy.”

“Well maybe you should worry about your girlfriend, and not comment on my fiancee.”

“Big shots Tri- Ooooh! Did you see that! I totally got that police officer right in the eye! Score!”

“Pearl, I’m pretty sure you’re not suppose to shoot the law.”

“I make my own law.”

“I can see that.” Trixie was finishing his toast when they heard keys in the front door. Pearl stopped the game, both of them looking at each other, neither of them knowing who the hell it could be.

“…. Hello?” Trixie called out, getting a slap on the arm from Pearl, who was sure they were going to get murdered now that Trixie made contact with the criminal that was breaking into their apartment.

“Hi guys…”

“Violet?!”

***

“Violet!”

Violet stood up. She had had one of the worst days in years, and now Fame was calling her too. She had had to leave her boyfriend at the airport, him, his sister and her friend all going off to a week of vacation without her. She had had to come home, face her friends and her roommates, she had had to see the pity in Trixie’s eyes and live with the genlte hug Pearl had given her, like she was going to break if Pearl actually pulled her tight. Violet hadn’t been down in design yet, and she was going to do everything she could to push it to the next day, because it was going to be horrible. Violet had gone home, changed her clothes, grabbed a bag and had reported to Fame’s office a whole hour before her boss had told her to. Sutan had texted her, telling her his driver was taking her luggage home and depositing it in her lobby.

Violet checked herself in the window reflection, making sure her hair and everything looked acceptable, not wanting to become a target of Fame’s perfection today of all days. Violet was wearing a white shirt and a pair of jeans that she had thrown on because it was the top thing in her wardrobe. The jeans however were a little tight, her stomach sporting the tiniest slope, and even though it wasn’t really Betty’s fault, Violet still felt a stab at annoyance over the fact that her broken leg and her cast had made her gain weight. She had tried to keep it at bay, doing the excersices Sutan had found for her and the doctor had approved, but it seemed like she hadn’t been able to keep it all off anyway. Violet tugged at her shirt, consealing her stomach before she turned around and walked to Fame’s office, wiping her fingers with a wet wipe.

Violet had no idea why, but it felt like everything on Courtney’s desk was sticky, like the girl had dropped soda and then never cleaned it up. Everything was unorganised and it made Violet long for when she had been in the office herself.

She had only been here for a few hours, but she was constantly looking for things, not understanding the system Courtney had put in place at all, the thing most of all seeming like a toddler had tried to sort their toys.

“Violet, how many times do I have to scream your name?”

“Sorry Miss.” Violet stopped in front of Fame’s desk, her eyes down.

“So how bad is it?”

“Not good…” Violet looked up, her fingers pulling at the edge of her shirt. “It could be worse, a lot worse, but from the list Roxy have worked out, it seems overtime is unavoidable.”

Fame nodded. The woman was tapping a pen against her desk, something Violet knew she only did when she was annoyed.

“Take a trip down to social media. Roxy informed me that none of our invitations have been sent out. I want you and Pearl to deal with it, and get everything sent out. I don’t trust Pearl to do this alone right now when it is of highest priority. That girl has been acting like a lovesick puppy for weeks, it’s absolutely revolting, she hasn’t finished any of her work. I expect you to pick up the slack.”

Violet could see the small smile on Fame’s face, for the first time knowing that even though the woman’s words were harsh, there was no venom behind it, and Violet slowly released her shirt, the fabric slightly damp from where her fingers had been working it.

“Yes Miss. Right away.”

“Do you have the documents Ivy made for the set design? Have our shoe shipment arrived? What of our hairstylist? Who has Alaska found? Have you spoken with our contractors?.”

“Yes, no, booked, she got Adrian Fanus and yes.”

“Good. That’s all.”

***

It wasn’t even a traditionally sexy picture that had pushed Pearl over.

She was lying in bed, slowly scrolling through her camera roll, looking for something to upload to her Instagram, the mess at work having kept her from all of her social media as her and Violet had been locked up in the department,  when she found it, /the/ picture to upload.

The picture was of Laila, a smile on her face, her bright blue hair put up in a half bun, a glass of beer in her hand. She was wearing the sweater Pearl had given her, a black thing from J.Crew, the soft material hugging Laila’s curves in the most delicious way. Pearl felt a throb of arousal from between her legs, but she wasn’t touching herself yet, wouldn’t touch herself just yet.

The sun was shining in through the window, the cold harsh winter light bathing her bedroom, but it didn’t matter as she slowly and carefully flipped through the pictures of Laila on her phone, a smile growing on her face as her need only grew. Laila was beautiful, her face always surprising Pearl, always giving her something new, Laila’s ever changing hair colors and makeup techniques keeping her on her toes. Pearl’s hand was slowly making it’s way down her stomach, her eyes closing as she allowed herself to drown in images of Laila, drowning in the sound of her voice, in the memories of the feeling of Laila’s lips on her neck, how incredibly soft her lover was everywhere.

Pearl’s hand slipped inside her sleep shorts, her fingers parting her, the pads growing wet. Oh, how Pearl needed and how she wanted. Laila’s stern voice, the look of utter disbelief whenever Pearl surprised her, the roughness Laila would unleash sometimes. Pearl moaned, her hips grinding down, her other hand wrapped in the sheets. Nothing was better than whenever Laila took charge, when Laila would command and demand Pearl’s attention. A shiver ran through Pearl as she flipped onto her stomach, a pillow getting shoved between her legs, her hand still there as she started to trust. She wanted Laila there, wanted her to fuck her and to fill her, wanted all of Laila inside her. The thoughts made everything so much better, so much sweeter. Pearl was growing desperate, her hips thrusting faster and faster until a small sound left her, a quiet ‘oh’ as she came, her body clamping down and shaking as she thumbled over the edge, pleasure washing over her.

Pearl lay for a little while, her eyes slowly opening, her free hand searching for her phone, the other petting her oh so carefully, coaxing her down from her height as she rode out the very last of it.

Pearl took a quick snap, her hair a mess, her lips blood red as she had bitten them, her cheeks blushed and her tits out since her shirt had gotten twisted at her moment. Pearl pressed send, the picture making it’s way to Laila, and Pearl felt beyond satisfied as she sank down into the sweet bliss of her postorgasmic state.

***  
Naomi was in her room, painting her nails, still in her bathrobe after her morning shower, when she heard her phone ring. Naomi felt panic rise when she saw that it was Sutan calling, and she was most of all tempted to decline the call. She had just moved into a new apartment the week before, not telling her manager about it at all, but she hadn’t been able to stay with the stupid, vapid, annoying girls she had been living with before, all of them convinced that they were the next big thing in modeling, when it was clear it was going to be her.

Naomi had moved in with Tatianna instead, a sweet, ditzy and bitchy girl like herself who she had met last month at a party. Tatianna told her she had a room for rent in her apartment, and when she had told her that she worked for Model Management, that was all Naomi needed to know to sign the lease. To be perfectly correct, however, Naomi hadn’t actually sign the lease since she was still 17, but she had perfected faking her grandma’s signature years ago, always doing it for her brothers whenever they needed to get out of school.

Naomi picked up the phone, quickly sliding to accept the call.

“Hiii.” Naomi put on her most sugary sweet voice, hoping that Sutan hadn’t somehow found out that she had moved, crossing her fingers that her plan to get out of the stupid model apartment while he was on vacation had payed off.

“Hey Naomi, how are you?”

He didn’t sound mad, so Naomi took a breath of relief. “I’m really good, thank you for asking.” She purred. “How are you? Is Aspanas any fun?”

“It’s Aspen, and it’s fine. My girlfriend had to cancel, but that’s life.”

“Really?” Naomi thought for a single second, before she decided to run with it. “Maybe you should invite me the next time instead? I would never cancel on you.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Sutan laughed, clearly not taking her seriously, and equal parts embarrassment and delight swirled in her stomach. Sutan always insisted on treating her like a child, but she wasn’t one, not really.

“But I called you for a reason, are you sitting down?”

“Yes? Is anything wrong?” Naomi twirled her hair with her unpainted nails. “Is it good news or bad news?”

“Good news, my darling. I sent your portfolio around to my contacts, and Betsey likes your look so much she wants to use you as her opening, you’re booked exclusively for your first Fashion Week. Congratulations!”

“What? Are you kidding me?”

“No, I’m being perfectly sincere, aren’t you happy?”

“No! What do you mean I’m booked? I’m not going for casting? I’m only going to walk one show? That’s stupid!” Naomi rose from the floor, walking around, anger radiating through her, how dared he do that to her?

“Naomi, what are you talking about?”

“Isn’t that, that Betsey woman, the one who makes all of that bright punk clothes?” Naomi could hear her accent slipping, her words getting harsher as she got more and more angry. She had never felt this way towards Sutan before, it was weird and she didn’t like it.

“She is, but what does that-”

“That’s not good enough for my brand, okay? I ain’t no joke and there is no way I’m wearing some ugly ass grandma weird fucked up clown clothes okay, that’s not the kind of girl I am and you better respect that.”

Naomi knew she was crossing a line, but the words kept coming. She had to stand up for herself, had to show Sutan that she was strong and independent and smart, that she could make her own decisions and that she was much better than any of the other dumb girls he managed.

“Naomi, being an opening model is a very big deal.”

“But what about Marc Jacobs? Why can’t I do Marc Jacobs?” Naomi was whining, but she couldn’t stop herself. She didn’t want to do Betsey Johnson, she didn’t want to and Sutan had to fix it for her.

“Naomi, listen to me. You’re going to do Betsey Johnson, you’re going to smile and be polite, you’re going to use the hours upon hours of coaching Elite has paid for, and you’re going to bring back the investment we have made in you.” Sutan’s voice was harsh, his tone leaving no room for arguments. “Is that understood?”

“Yes…” Naomi felt herself deflate completely, all of the fight no longer in her, but she had to make one last effort.  “But what do I get if I do as you say?”

“What do you mean “what do I get?”” Naomi could hear the sound of a lighter, and the deep intake of a breath and she felt a rush of pride at the fact that she had driven Sutan to smoke, that she had affected him so much, that she had made him mad and that they were still talking. They were perfect for each other, why couldn’t he see that?

“What do I get for playing nice?” Naomi was purring again, happy that they were talking, and it wasn’t like Betsey Johnson was the worst thing ever, and opening model had a nice ring to it.

Sutan was completely silent, and Naomi was almost worrying, before a long, drawn out sigh came from him. “If you behave, I’ll let you do go sees for resort season, but this is /only/ if you do everything I say.”

“Okay!”

“But know that this is a one time thing, okay? I don’t negotiate with terrorists.”

“I promise!”

Her heart was beating away as they said their goodbyes. Naomi couldn’t help but throw herself on the bed after Sutan had hung up, clutching her phone to her chest, a giant smile on her face.

***

“Hey Court, sorry to bother you. I’m running out to a meeting, but I’m gonna pick up something for dinner on my way back, okay? I should be home about 7:30.”

“Okay, thank you!” Courtney called back in a cheerful voice.

By 7, Courtney had everything in place and now a half hour to obsess over what to wear. Was Bianca expecting her to dress up sexy? Was she expecting…other things? Her stomach was tight with that warm aching feeling that wouldn’t go away.

She decided to wear something that didn’t give the wrong idea. A plain grey t-shirt and jeans. There. That worked. It said, “Hey, thanks for the room, my best friend’s big sister.” She pulled her hair into a ponytail. Even better. “Don’t mind me, I could be on my way to the grocery store, or maybe a babysitting job. Just casual things. Not involving you throwing me across the table and making me come so hard I forget my name.”

Courtney put her hand on the wall to steady herself.

Later, while they ate, Courtney still felt as confused and disoriented as she had all day. She wanted Bianca. She wanted Bianca to want HER, and she thought that she did…but on the other hand, she was now living rent-free in her apartment and all of a sudden things felt a little unsteady, like the rug could be pulled out from under her at any time. What if Bianca got bored with her? She had no experience with girls, with women, and what if she wasn’t enough? What if she changed her mind? Would everything disappear?

Bianca pointed to her plate. “I think you should eat something besides vegetables, hon. Try the pasta with the faux meatballs. It’s really good.”

Courtney looked up, nodding.

“Are you okay? Are you…settled in alright? You seem a little anxious. Can I–”

“What is it that you want from me?” Courtney blurted out.

“Excuse me?”

“I mean you must want something. Is it sex? Is it–”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” Bianca laid down her fork. “Take it easy, okay? I’m just…I really just want to help you. I think you are talented, and I want to–”

Courtney drummed her fingers on the table, a skeptical look on her face.

Bianca moved closer her her, and took her hand. “Listen. Do I think you are staggeringly beautiful? Yes. I’m not blind. Would I rock your fucking world, given the opportunity? You bet your ass I would. But I’m not…that’s not what this is, okay? I mean, I will help you whether that happens or not.”

“Really?” Courtney’s heart raced.

“Yes, really. You’re not a prostitute. I’m not asking for anything…except maybe tickets to your shows someday.”

Courtney smiled, one of those bright, beaming smiles that melted Bianca’s chilly little heart to it’s core. “I’m sorry I–”

“No, I’m sorry, if I gave you the impression that–”

“No! You didn’t, I just…I’m not…” Courtney breathed deeply. “Can we start again?”

“Sure.” Bianca flashed her dimples, and squeezed her hand. “So, let’s talk about you for a minute. I really want to introduce you to my friend Lucian. He’s a writer/producer, and he’s super dialed in to the pop music scene. And he’s having a party tomorrow night. Does that sound okay?”

“That sounds amazing,” Courtney breathed.

“You do have clothes with you that aren’t made for playing softball, right?” Bianca raised one eyebrow, taking a sip of her wine.

Courtney laughed, slightly regretful over her fashion choices for the evening. “I’m sure I can dig up something presentable.”

***

“Hello, Fame’s office.”

Violet was sitting at her desk in design, a headset in her ear connected to her phone which took all calls from Fame’s office.

“Yes, I called yesterday about the delivery of 12 dozen blue delphiniums, yes, yes that’s correct.”

Violet was putting the finishing touches on her ready-to-wear sketches. She had thrown everything overboard when Fame had called her back from her vacation, the girl running from department to department, switching between Fame’s front office and her desk with everyone else in design.

“No, I need you to understand, listen, that’s not acceptable. I asked for 12 dozen, that’s not 9, that’s not 11, that’s not 13, that’s 12. Good, I’m glad we agree.” Violet hung up, quickly grabbing her iPad and typing an email before she threw everything into a totebag, getting down to marketing to talk to Alyssa, her designs left half done on her desk.

***

When Courtney strolled into the bar a few blocks from Lucian’s house to meet Bianca, she was wearing a short black skater dress with an open back and tall, strappy black heels. Bianca scanned her up and down. The smoky eyes, the red lipstick, blonde hair in beachy waves…good lord. Bianca bit back an audible moan and waved her over.

The party was in a slick-looking loft style apartment with ridiculously high ceilings and open beams. Courtney felt a little shaky walking in, and looked at Bianca nervously. Bianca took her hand and led her to a gaggle of gay boys who immediately began fawning all over her.

“Bitch, look at this hot little piece of ass!”

“Bianca, you’ve really outdone yourself with this one.”

“How old are you, baby?”

“Danny, Greg, would you leave her alone?” Bianca sighed. “It’s not like that, anyway. She’s a singer, so I’m introducing her to Lucian.”

“Yeah I’ll bet you are,” Danny’s big blue-green eyes sparkled with glee.

Courtney giggled, and noticed a blonde boy with a pretty face eying her up and down.

“Shane, please stop. You don’t even like girls.”

“I like girls sometimes! I’m pansexual.”

“That’s not a thing, Shane.”

“Fuck you, it is too a thing. Keep up with the times, grandma.”

“Omigosh, where are you from?” Courtney found herself ridiculously excited by his Australian accent.

“Brisbane, and a few years in Sydney.”

“Me too! Well the Brisbane part. When did you graduate from high school?”

“2000.”

“Oh. Yeah, we probably didn’t cross paths.”

“What about you?”

“2011.”

Shane tongue popped, giving Bianca a pointed look.

Greg laughed. “Shane, pansexual or not, this girl looks just like you. You’re such a narcissist.”

“So?” Shane batted his pretty eyelashes at Courtney, who grinned back at him apologetically.

“Sorry dude, I don’t have a great track record with gay guys.”

Shane pouted. “Pansexual!”

“I…yeah, okay.” Bianca rolled her eyes. “C’mon Court, let’s go find Lucian. Leave these assholes to their own devices.”

Courtney took her arm and followed her, tossing a sassy wink at Shane over her shoulder.

***

Violet was sitting in her armchair in her room, a sketchpad in front of her, her headphones on as she was trying to finish the sketch she had been working on. She hadn’t had a quiet moment at work all day, and even though all sketches were due the next day after lunch, Violet hadn’t gotten it done. Fame had given her the option of not participating in Fashion Week as a designer, but Violet had refused. She had to at least try. She had a few things that she had scrapped earlier in the year, all of them fitting the theme and tone, but the collection had one evening gown, and Violet had had her eyes on it since the moment she had started in design. She wanted it, and she was going to do her best to get it. She was just about to put her pen to paper when her phone rang, interrupting her music. Violet was about to hang up, annoyed at having been interrupted, when she realised it was Sutan asking to facetime.

“Hey? Sutan? Is everything okay?”

Violet could see Sutan laughing, and she relaxed a little. He was wearing one of the sweaters she had gotten for him for the trip and his glasses as well. From what Violet could see he was in bed, his computer lying open next to him.

“Can’t I call my girlfriend just because I miss her?”

“You can.. But it doesn’t seem like you… Are you sure everything’s okay?”

“There’s nothing wrong with Aspen if that’s what you’re asking. The weather is nice, the snow is crisp, but-”

“But what?”

“We’re all missing you, I’m missing you.”

Violet felt herself blush. They had been dating for almost 6 months, but she still felt happy and embarrassed when he was affectionate.

“Raven has been an annoyance since we arrived however, so we’re coming back early.”

“Really?”

“Mmh… She keeps insisting it’s no fun here and she has even refused to wear her new coat since you’re not here to match.” Violet could hear Sutan was exasperated, but she couldn’t help but smile.

“That’s so Raven.”

“It really is, Raja is annoyed too since Fame refuses to tell her anything, insisting on letting her have her vacation.” They both smiled at the impossible people they were surrounded by.

“I’m sorry about Raven… I feel bad about bailing… It wasn’t-”

“Don’t, you don’t have to apologize. I would have done the same thing if my boss had called.”

Violet laughed, so surprised by his admission. Relief washing over her. She had never expected to find someone who felt that way too, and who still cared for her. “You’re impossible.”

“I love you too.”

Violet could feel that the conversation was ending, but she wasn’t ready to say goodbye yet.

“Do you want to like… Hang out, or something, while I draw?”

“Sure. I have some work I need done myself anyway.”

Violet smiled, propping Sutan up so they could watch each other.

“My music or yours?”

“Mine of course.”

Violet rolled her eyes as Sutan put on a song, the two of them getting to work. Apart, but still together.

***

Bianca woke up the next day to a text from Lucian. /Your girl is adorable. Give me her number so I can invite her to lunch./

Bianca sent him Courtney’s contact info and fell back against the pillows. Her sleepy mind wandered, and she found herself thinking about Courtney. Again. In that dress from last night, the short skirt lengthening her legs, red lipstick and dark eyeliner giving her sweet face a dangerous sexiness. The torturous cab ride home, where Courtney chattered excitedly about all the people she met and kept touching Bianca’s arm. Green eyes sparkling. Blonde hair and glossy lips–  
And then Bianca’s thoughts were interrupted by soft knocking on the door, Courtney’s voice asking, “B? You awake?”

Startled, Bianca pulled her hand out from her pajama bottoms, where she’d been absent-mindedly stroking herself. She took a beat to collect herself, slow her breathing. Jesus, did she need to get laid. Soon. “Yeah, hang on, I was just about to get up.”

“Can I come in?”

Fuck. “Sure!”

Courtney skipped into the room, nearly tripping over the dogs yapping excitedly, and jumped onto the bed. She was wearing a cotton romper and, as far as Bianca could tell, no underwear.

“Omigod, Bianca, you are never gonna guess who just texted me!”

Bianca smiled, pressing her thighs together. “Who texted you?”

“Lucian! He says he wants me to go to lunch with him and talk about the next steps. Can you believe it?!”

“Of course I believe it.”

Courtney giggled and grabbed a pillow, hugging it to her chest. “Well, I can’t. No one has ever…will you come with me?”

“When is it?” Bianca yawned.

“I don’t know really, some time in February!”

“Sorry hon, I’m leaving for Europe right after Fashion Week here.”

“Europe? For how long?”

“Three weeks. I’m hitting fashion weeks in London, Milan and Paris.”

Courtney’s face fell. “Oh.”

“But hey, they good news is, you get this place all to yourself when that happens!”

“Right.” Courtney fingered the corner of the pillow, a faraway look in her eyes.

Bianca touched her cheek gently, electricity racing through her, which she tried hard to ignore. “You don’t need me there, baby. It’s much better for you to do this on your own.”

Courtney nodded, looking up at her. “Yeah, I know. It’s just that three weeks is a long time. I’m gonna miss you.”

Bianca could feel her insides turning to mush at Courtney’s bright, earnest expression. She cleared her throat. “Just don’t burn the place down, sugar.”

***

Fame scheduled the board meeting for the second Raja was back in NY. She walked into the conference room where all of the department heads were gathering, immediately noticing the details: everything from the perfect temperature to the various drinks at everyone’s places, to the neat stack of handouts at the end of the table…as unfortunate as the circumstances were, Raja had to admit that having Violet back at the helm was nice. She winked at her, sitting in a chair at the back of the room, headset in place. She smiled back, covering her misery quite well.

Raja nodded at Trixie and Pearl, who were teasing each other, and at Alyssa, who was working furiously on her laptop until the meeting started.

Alaska came racing in, breathing a sigh of relief that the meeting hadn’t already begun. “Oh, thank goodness. You would not believe the epic shitstorm of a morning I had.”

“Well, brace yourself. It’s about to get worse”, came a deep voice from behind her.

Fame shook her head at Patrick, following him in. “Really Patrick. I called you up here because we are discussing financials. Not for doomsday dramatics.”

“Sorry, darling.”

Fame and Patrick took their seats and Fame folded her hands, taking a deep breath before launching right in. “You are all aware, I’m sure, of the change in my staff recently. On top of Violet taking over again temporarily, we have become aware that quite a few items to prepare for Fashion Week next month had gotten…shall we say…delayed. This is going to cause us to pay for rush fees and costs to entice busy vendors that are higher than our budget contingency.”

“Okay…” said Trixie slowly. “What does that mean for us?”

“Well, unfortunately, we need to move some money around. I’m sorry, but everyone will lose a cut of their department budget. And, sadly, we’re reducing the guestlist for the Galactica party. There will not be guests for employees that have not been invited in their own right.”

“Hey, wait, what?” Pearl cried. “No, that’s not fair!”

Fame closed her eyes briefly. “We’ve had to downsize the venue since our preferred one is already booked. And having non-industry guests is a waste of fire marshall space. Sorry.”

The rest of the room grumbled unhappily while Violet passed around floorplans and updated guest lists.

“I assume your teams will be quite unhappy about this. Knowing that, I’m going to make sure that the party for the makeup launch in March is big enough for all staff and guests. For now, I’m asking you as my commanding officers to keep control of your troops.”

Patrick chuckled, murmuring, “I think they get it without the military references, dear.”

Fame gritted her teeth, not willing to show that Patrick’s disobedience was driving her up the wall.

Alyssa frowned. “Back to this budget cut thing…what kind of cuts are we talking about, exactly?”

Fame sighed. “Well, to be honest, we are not totally sure. Maybe a better term would be a budget freeze. For now, assume that ten percent of all department budgets is inaccessible.”

“What?!” Alyssa cried. “Fame, you can’t be serious. I need every penny of my budget right now, we have the new collections coming out and rework on the European flagsh-”

“I know Alyssa, I know. I’m sorry, but right now we have additional rush fees on many fronts, and there’s the jet we have to charter because we lost our flights, and–”

Trixie raised his hand, the move surprising Fame into keeping quiet. “If money is an issue, why are we chartering a jet? Why not fly coach? I can fly coach, that’s not a problem.”

“Really Trixie, this isn’t the time for jokes.” Fame rolled her eyes. She knew everyone around the table knew the real answer. It wasn’t something Fame was proud of, but she was utterly terrified of flying.

Raja set her cup down to give Fame some backup. “Guys, listen, we know this is not the most fun news. I mean, I’m irritated as fuck, but…it is what it is. It’s not a tragedy. We just need to get creative and figure it out.”

“We will have a clearer picture of everything within a week, once all the main costs are locked down, and as soon as we do, we will let you all know.”

Alaska smiled. “Well…I’m excited for the makeup launch.”

“Ugh, shut up,” Pearl groaned, and Alaska stuck her tongue out at Pearl.

Fame pretended she hadn’t seen that childish behavior, and brushed her hands together. “Well…that’s that. I’m sorry to have been the bearer of bad news, but I know that we will all pull together to create the best runway experience ever. Thank you for your time.”

She stood up and headed for the door.

“Man,” Pearl said, irritated, “I was really looking forward to taking my girlfriend to that party.”

“Well, suck it up, buttercup!” Raja teased, following Fame out of the room.

***

The good kale salad was being served today at the canteen, the one Shane liked so much, but he was home sick with the flu, claiming that he was going to die if he moved a feet away from the bed. The kale salad wasn’t her favorite, she wasn’t even vegetarian – her eyes flew to a chicken caesar, but when her turn to order came, she got kale despite herself, trying to at least even out the healthiness with a can of Coke.

She sat down, giving a small wave to Violet who just entered the room, for some reason walking differently than she usually did, and Betty quickly realized why.

“Where are your heels, Shitchki? Running shoes, for real? And a cardigan? Come on.”

“I’ve been running around all day…” Violet sighed. “I got home yesterday after wearing Louboutins,  and my foot was all swollen so my roomie forced me to wear the running shoes Sutan got me this morning. I know it’s super unprofessional, but I can’t bear to wear heels right now. ”

“That’s… unfortunate.” The double duty Violet was doing was really kicking her ass, bags under her eyes starting to show even through makeup, the girl slumped in a chair with her head resting on her folded arms. “Should I get some food for you? I can still walk, even in my heels.”

“No, not really.”

“What? You have to eat.”

“It’s okay, I just came to take a break and say hi to you… And even if I got anything, I wouldn’t be able to swallow it anyway… I’ve been nauseous all week.”

“Are you sick?” Betty crinkled her brow, reaching out to touch Violet’s forehead, but the other woman was just cold.

“No, I’m fine, it’s just… I’m elbows deep in finalizing pearl placements for the tailors and it’s killing me.” Violet had been running back and forth, sewing on the dress she was submitting as the potential finale look for the Galactica fashion show every free moment she got.

“Know what, I don’t care.” Betty stood up, brining an extra fork and forcing it into Violet’s hand. ’‘Here. Have some of my kale. I don’t like it that much anyway, but it’s healthy, so you’ll love it.”

“Why did you get it then?” Reluctantly, Violet put some salad in her mouth.

’'It’s a long story. Now start eating, or I’ll force-feed you.”

“Fine, Bets.” Violet rolled her eyes slightly, but ate a few good bites before abandoning the fork on a napkin and leaning forward to lay her head down again. “It’s just six more days anyway… It’ll be fine…”

“You have a pretty solid chance of kicking the bucket in the next two days, though. When was the last time you slept?”

“I would tell you, but it’s not any of your business.”

“If I could sing, I’d sing you a nice cute lullaby right now, and you’ll be passed out in two minutes. Wanna bet?”

Violet shook her head, sitting up straighter. Betty thought she might be able to help the girl out, but Violet stupidly insisted on doing everything alone, not only supervising Fame’s office, but also trying to be present in design department, and that would have killed anyone but her ages ago. Violet’s phone rang, and she quickly checked the screen, dropping her fork.

“Ugh, I’m sorry Betty, it’s Fame. I know I just got here, but I gotta go, she needs me.” Violet stood up, placing a hand on Betty’s shoulder. “Thank you for the food, and for being no help whatsoever as always.” Violet smiled, and Betty smiled back, the two sharing a quick moment.

“You’re welcome! Don’t die though, who’s gonna annoy me if you do?”

Violet wrapped herself tighter in her cardigan and left the canteen, her steps slow and heavy.

Betty tossed the remains of her kale salad in the trash, deciding to buy another one and take it home to Shane.

***  
“Violet. Are you okay?”

Max had come out of the kitchen with a cup of tea in hand. He hadn’t seen Violet sitting at the living room table when he had walked in, his mind still too focused on the image he was editing in his home studio right now, the colors never quite mixing.

Violet had covered the table with papers and photos, stacks of what Max realised were model photos lined up.

“I’m fine…”

Max sat down, his computer momentarily forgotten. He picked up the photos, flipping through them.

“Is the casting tomorrow? Already? Are the clothes done?” Max tried to remember the last editor’s meeting, but he was too tired, the late hour and the fact that he had worked all day catching up with him.

“Not yet… Trixie assured me there would be at least something for them to try on Wednesday, but I called the tailors today and they said they were only about 20% done which is not enough at all… But I think the models are getting there…”

Max nodded. “How many models do you have?”

“175, I spent all day today calling Ford, Elite and Model Management…” Violet sighed, but she couldn’t help but smile when she saw the look of approval in Max’s eyes. “I matched up everyone’s schedules and if all goes well, we can get it done in one day.”

Max took a sip of his tea. Violet hadn’t mentioned Courtney, but he could feel the annoyance come off the girl at the fact that Courtney had barely gotten anything together before she abandoned ship.

“I’m not dealing with re-castings this year… Some of them have to be good… They simply have to…”

“I’m sure we’ll find someone.”

“Thank you.”

“Do you want some tea?”

“I’d love that.”

***

“I know I say this twice every year…but I think this Fashion Week is going to be the death of me. I’m so stressed out, I feel like an utter basket case.” Fame twisted the napkin in her lap, confessing her fears to Raja and Bianca at their brunch - which was sparsely populated this week. Sutan, Patrick, Juju, Detox and Raven had all passed up this week, Sutan because he was desperately trying to get a diamond out of the piece of coal he had chosen as his newest prodigy, Patrick was dealing with some finance stuff, Juju was about to pop, and Bianca had no idea why Raven wasn’t there, not that she cared.

Bianca rolled her eyes. Fame had in fact said that before every Fashion Week since they’d known each other. This year, Bianca had less sympathy…although she supposed that losing her assistant a week ago hadn’t helped. A twinge of guilt pricked at Bianca’s conscience and she found herself at a loss for words.

Raja sipped her mimosa, slinging an arm around Fame’s shoulders. “It will be incredible. Don’t worry about it so much.”

“I just feel so bad about Violet being back on my desk. I mean, she’s taking care of everything, but she shouldn’t have to do that. Unfortunately, things must be done and I don’t see any other option.”

Bianca took a long sip of her Bloody Mary, and said, “Fame, baby, I love you, but you do everything the hard way. I got four words for you…Temp Agency, Event Planner.”

Fame rolled her eyes. “I don’t trust Event Planners, and I’m too busy to deal with an incompetent temp.”

“Any event planners in New York can handle a fashion show with both hands tied behind their backs. And what about promoting that girl who you’ve had at reception for 2 years? If she can’t handle your desk by now, then what is she doing there?”

“Why are you suddenly so interested in my staffing dilemma?” Fame asked, eyes narrowing.

“I’m not! I’m just trying to help. You said you’re stressed. Nevermind. Jesus.”

Raja shook her head. “You’re acting like it’s so easy, B. That’s bullshit.”

“I mean, not easy but…look at it this way. We worked our ASSES off for fucking years. Why? To get to exactly where we are, right now. If you’re not enjoying it then what was the fucking point?”

“Well, don’t get me wrong, I’m enjoying it.” Fame laughed. “I just feel a little bad for Violet right now, that’s all.”

Bianca slapped her hand on the table. “You know who you should interview? Nina’s assistant, Shannel. She’s a fucking ball-buster. So good. And she’s been dying to find something with a design house. Zac Posen was scared of her, but I think she’d be perfect for you.”

Fame looked at her phone, distracted by a series of texts from Pearl.

PEARL: WTF

PEARL: Did you see this?

PEARL: Isn’t BDR a close friend?

The texts came in quick succession, followed by two screenshots of Courtney’s Instagram. In the first one, she was rolling around on a bed with a familiar looking little chihuahua, and the caption read, “#mynewroommate #sammy #babyboy #casadelrio.”

Fame’s mouth dropped open. She almost didn’t want to look at the second picture. Courtney had her arm around Bianca’s waist and gazed up at her. She was wearing a slutty looking black dress, cheap red lipstick and an abundance of eye makeup, clearly applied by an amateurish hand. It was captioned, “With B aka my savior… <3.”

PEARL: Crazy, huh?

Fame looked up with an expression of abject horror on her face, handing Raja her phone. Bianca sat, calmly eating her egg white omelet. “What? Why are you…Did someone die? Are you okay?”

“Bianca. Are you…is she LIVING with you?”

“I thought we’re not supposed to check our phones during family meal time.”

“Don’t change the subject!”

“I mean, yeah, she’s staying with me. Do you have a problem with that?”

Fame shook her head in disbelief. “Of course I have a problem with that!”

“Well…tough shit.” Bianca smiled. “She spent Thanksgiving with us, too. And the holidays. Should I have gotten your permission?”

“Do you have any idea of the mess she caused us, B? Like seriously, we are talking about epic, colossal fuck-ups.”

“Yeah, she knows, that’s why she quit. She was having a complete mental breakdown, and she was afraid to talk to you guys about it, so I told her that she could move in with me.”

“Wait a second”, Fame said, eyes narrowed. “You invited her to live with you BEFORE she quit? Did you tell her to quit?”

“Uh…I may have…suggested…that that job wasn’t really the best thing for her…which is true, right? I mean…right?”

As rage flooded through Fame’s body, she set her mouth in a line.

“You fucking bitch.” Raja looked at Bianca, her eyes filled with anger and betrayal.

“Raja, get your bag, we’re leaving.” Fame stood up, her fingers closed around the straps of her bag, Raja following closely behind.

“Wait, where are you going? You guys, come on, you knew I liked her.”

“I’m sorry B, but we don’t have time for backstabbing cunts! Enjoy your new roommate!”

As the two of them sailed out the door, Bianca groaned inwardly. She had planned to wait until Fame was settled with a new assistant before having that particular discussion. She downed some water. Obviously that was a bad call. Still, she wasn’t sure why they were so surprised. They both knew she had a thing for Courtney, and now Fame could hire someone better suited for the desk.

She waved the waiter over and handed him a credit card. Whatever. She’d let them stomp around angrily for a while and then set things straight when they calmed down.

  
***

Tatianna was chewing gum, annoyance radiating from her. Courtney had promised her a place in the Galactica fashion show, but when she turned up at the open casting everyone had looked at her like she was dumb when she asked for Courtney.

Tatianna hated being a plastic girl. She hated having to go from door to door, her portfolio in hand, auditioning and hoping for the best. It was humiliating and not worth her time, but her agent had told her that unless she went out during casting week, they would take no responsibility for her future career. Tatianna hadn’t booked anything big yet, but she was still hoping. She had been hired by Model Management, even though she had tried for Ford, but she would work her way up. She had to.

Tatianna blew a bubble, the thing popping in the same moment her name was called by a tall, dark-haired girl.

“Tatianna, Tatianna Santolini, is there anyone here by the name of Tatiann-”

“I’m here, I’m here!” Tatianna gathered her things, pushing her way through the other models, a smug smile on her face as she made her way to the front of the room, finally realising who had called out for her.

“Violet! Hey girl! Congratulations on getting your cast off, you look real good.”

Violet’s eyes ran over Tatianna, scanning her face, not really realising where she had seen her before and Tatianna felt a stab of annoyance.

“I’m Courtney’s friend? We met at that club? Morgan called you a crippled ho?” Tatianna smiled brightly, the gum still in her mouth.

“Oh… Yes, of course. Hi.”

Violet reached into the pocket of her dress, Tatianna expecting her to take something out, maybe a business card or something, anything to help a friend out, but instead it was a tissue.

“Spit.”

“What?”

“Spit out your gum”

Tatianna blushed, feeling humiliated as she spat out her gum, everyone in the room looking at them.

“Thank you.” Violet turned to the room, instantly getting everyone’s attention. “Let this be a lesson for all of you. This is a Galactica audition, I’m going to ask everyone to represent your very best while you’re here, and gum is not appropriate.”

Tatianna felt her stomach drop, but Violet still let her into the next room, so her mistake couldn’t have been that bad.

“Do you have a portfolio?”

“Yes.”

Violet took Tatianna’s portfolio, walking to the end of the room where Tatianna recognised Miss Fame who was sitting alongside a tall, skinny, dark-skinned woman and a chubby man with thinning hair. Violet handed the book to Fame who flipped through it, her face giving nothing away. Tatianna wished she still had her gum. This was nerve-wracking, having to stand and wait like this.

“Can you walk for us?” Tatianna got eye contact with the dark woman who was leaned back in her chair, her legs crossed, watching her like a hawk.

Tatianna nodded, quickly walking to the back wall, doing what her instructor had shown her a few weeks ago. Shoulders back, head straight, and go.

“Can you go faster please?”

Tatianna speeded up, trying to walk to a beat in her head, trying to make the people in front of her happy. She made it to the end of the room, stopping in front of them, striking a pose before she turned around and walked back.

“Violet, give her the star dress. Ivy, shoes please.”

Violet nodded, taking Tatianna to a different part of the room where a red-headed girl was waiting, a smile on her face as she quickly and effectively got Tatianna into a dress in dark blue with a star constellation printed on it. The redhead was smiling and sweet, chatting to Tatianna while they prepared her. Violet left halfway through, her phone ringing.

“There we go.” Ivy smiled. The entire thing had taken less than 2 minutes, and Tatianna was pushed out again while another girl came into the wardrobe. Tatianna was asked to walk again, before she was sent off to the side, a tall man taking a polaroid of her before she was stripped and sent off again by Violet with a pat on the back and a promise that they would email her.

Tatianna felt dizzy, the whole thing having happened so fast she wasn’t quite sure what she has just experienced, but all she could do now was hoping that they would call her back.

***

If you had asked Laila how she had expected to spend her day with Pearl, running around New York, pretending to bump into people had not made it anywhere near her list.

“Hey! Michelle, yeah, I was just in the neighborhood, what shows are you hitting? What? No, you /have/ to come see Galactica’s show, know what, I’ll hook you up with some good seats!”

Pearl had told her something about a guestlist and missing invitations and that some assistant hadn’t mailed them in time, and now Laila was on wingwoman duty as Pearl kept spreading her charm all over Manhattan. Pearl arrived at Laila’s that day with a sour expression, complaining about budget cuts and the fact that she won’t be able to take Laila to the Galactica party. Laila tried to ease the atmosphere, making some stupid joke that she should be invited in her own right as the shortest stripper in Manhattan, but Pearl didn’t even crack a smile at that.

“Jennifer! Hi! Yes, omg, this store /so/ so has the best green juices. Are you going to cover our party this year? Of course there’ll be your fave champagne, you deserve the best. I’ll call you tomorrow, okay?”

Pearl’s roommates had jokingly said that Pearl knew everyone in New York, but Laila had no idea about how true it had turned out to be, yet another fashionable woman stopping by to exchange air kisses with the blonde, completely ignoring Laila, and Laila was okay with that.

“Zoe! Hi, yeah, I was just going for a walk with my girlfriend. How is everything at your store? Have you figured out what you’re doing for spring? You think blue is coming back again? Well look who could double as a fortune teller, no, no, I’ll not tell you anything about the collection, you’ll have to come see it. Haven’t we send you an invite yet? Let me yell at my assistant and I’ll personally make sure you get one. Enjoy your coffee, darling.”

Pearl kept babbling away, Laila not even trying to follow the conversations. She would never try or wish to understand Pearl’s world, her blond lover seeming like an alien sometimes.

“Robin, oh my God, hi, are you here for bagels too? I know, this place so makes the best gluten, carb, fat and dairy free bread in all of Manhattan. Have you heard that Donna Karan’s buffet at her party isn’t vegan? I mean, how rude can you get? That’s so unthoughtful. Oh my, million dollar idea. You should come to our party instead. Bible and I will both be there and I’ll totally score you a case of fair trade wine! I’m texting the chefs right now.”

But at the end of the day, Laila cared Pearl, and that was what had to matter most of all.

***  
Katya stared at the piece of plastic in her hands, the cheeky little shit daring to look back at her, and if a pregnancy test could be smug. Katya swore that this one was. She stared, stared and stared, until her eyes filled up with tears, her entire body shaking like it was about to fall apart, chock running through her.

This was not supposed to happen. It wasn’t, I wasn’t, it couldn’t.

She quickly got up, her head spinning, making her cling to the counter beneath the bathroom mirror, needing something to keep her upright. She threw the piece of plastic into the trash can, making sure to bury it under a pile of toilet paper and used tissues, so no one would find it by mistake. Keeping a secret with four roommates and a houseguest was close to impossible, but Katya wasn’t ready to share this yet.

/Okay, okay, okay. Keep on breathing. You can do this./   
But she couldn’t, a cry almost breaking her in half as she run to the walk-in closet in her and Trixies to hide from the world in the darkness, the clothes smelling like fresh laundry and her perfume and paint and Trixie’s cologne and… oh God, she’s gonna have to tell Trixie.

She sank to the floor, terrified, wrapping her arms around her knees. She had just a hint of a bad feeling before, just something in the back of her head, nagging, nagging, nagging but now her worst fear has come to life, making her see black as she shut her eyes, tears wetting her jeans as she shook endlessly, hoping nobody in the apartment would hear her. She has fucked up before, she has fucked up a lot actually, but she probably never fucked up that epically. What was she going to do?

Time kept passing, Katya’s butt starting to hurt from sitting on the floor, the queasy feeling in her stomach never stopping, her sobs growing louder as she imagined one tragic scenario after the other. There was a life growing inside of her, a little parasite eating away at her energy and taking space in her womb. Oh god what had she ever done to deserve a fate like this.

“Katya? Katya, sugarbun, where are you?”

Katya almost stuffed her fist into her mouth, trying to keep her body from betraying her. Trixie couldn’t see her like this. She didn’t want a confrontation, not now, not yet, not ever, but it didn’t matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t control herself, muffled sobs still leaving her when the wardrobe door opened and a light was switched on, Trixie standing there. That was one of the downsides of their many years together. He knew all her secrets, and he would /always/ find her.

“Katya?”

“I’m not here.”

“Yeah, sure you’re not.” Trixie moved away the coats and dresses that were covering Katya from the world, and then quickly leveled himself to the ground to meet her eyes, his movements little clumsy and ungraceful. He frowned with concern, running a hand through his thinning brown hair, and Katya felt a stab of love in her heart for the man. How could she had done this to him?  Katya observed Trixie through her fingers, swallowing salty tears that just wouldn’t stop flowing until he reached to remove her hands from her face.

“Katya… Talk to me, you’re terrifying me. What is going on? Is it something at school?”

“Nothing. Nothing, I just - I went to work, and one of the kids came in with a bruise on his face and I tried talking to him and - “

“You’re lying.” Trixie seemed calm, but Katya could swear it was just a facade, just a little play to make her feel better. She didn’t know whenever to laugh or cry, the whole situation so utterly insane.

She tried taking a deep breath, but breathing out, she broke into tears again, words cascading out of her.

“I swear, I thought I was careful. I really did! I mean… I haven’t had my period for months, but it’s not like it was anything unusual for me! You know how my body behaves sometimes, and, and I take the pills every day, you know I do! I try not to forget! I was doing everything! And then I almost threw up when I smelled that vegan takeout Trannika got, and I was feeling so sick in the morning like I’ve been drinking when I don’t, ever, you know I don’t, Trixie, oh my God, what are we going to do? What are we going to do?”

Trixie looked at Katya in confusion, brows furrowed, and fuck, Katya loved him too much to do this to him. “What the hell are you talking about, Kat?”

“Oh my God, Trixie. Oh my God. I’m - “ Katya tried to force the words out of her mouth, knowing that saying them would make it all real, and she wasn’t ready for that. “I’m pregnant.” She hid her head between her knees again.

The five seconds of silence that followed were the scariest five seconds of Katya’s life.

“You’re not joking, right?”

She looked up, shaking her head. Trixie’s expression was absolutely serious. “I wish I was.”

“And - how sure are you? I mean, are you sure?”

“About ninety percent…. Or more actually…” Now that she considered it, all the symptoms were present. Her stomach had grown a little lately, but she thought it was just all the Christmas food, her winter blubber, and the secret jar of peanut butter she bought herself. Now, the mere thought of peanut butter made her mouth water.

“Oh my God, Katya. Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God.” Trixie flailed his hands in the air like he didn’t know what to do with them, until he stood up, jumping in place up and down like an excited kid. “Oh my God! I’m going to be a dad? I’m going to be a dad! We’re going to be parents!” He almost screamed, biting on his fingers, unable to hide his excitement as he dropped to his knees in front of Katya, wrapping arms around her, trying to kiss her cheek, missing, kissing her ear instead. She felt another sob leaving her as Trixie held her in her arms, his hand wandering to stop on her stomach, only separated by thin fabric of a t-shirt, nothing but love and serenity on his face.

“Are you really happy? How are we even going to do all of that? Trixie, how - how can I be a mom? I can’t.”

“Are you kidding me? Of course you can. We can do this. Oh my God, there’s so much to do, I need to make a list right now. Did you book a doctor’s appointment yet? Did you, Katya?”

“I - I didn’t, not yet.”

“We’re gonna book it right now. Come on.” He extended a hand, helping Katya up. When she was back on her feet, he wiped her face with his sleeve, giving her another reassuring hug. “Come on, baby. It’s gonna be okay. I love you so much. We can do this.”

Katya wasn’t sure, but at least Trixie wasn’t angry, his reaction giving her the tiniest sliver of hope.

 


	22. Chapter 22

Laila, 1:45 PM: my laptop is being a dick again, can I use yours? xx

Pearl, 1:46 PM: sure thing, password is Fameschickens

Laila was sitting cross-legged on her bed with Turbo curled up on her thigh where it was always warm. She kept scratching him softly, the kitty purring with satisfaction in return, his constant presence somehow making the days easier to go through. Laila opened Pearl’s white iMac, typing in the silly password Pearl texted her. She just wanted to relax with some Netflix before her band practice and then a shift at the bar.

She planned to just minimize the window that Pearl left opened on the computer, but an article headline caught her attention. “A Look Into How Beth Ditto Is Changing The Face of Fashion”. Laila loved Beth, so she clicked “Read More”, only then noticing that she was on the Galactica website, and that the author of the article was Pearl Liaison.

Without a moment’s thought, Laila dived into the article, Pearl’s words telling a complete, compelling story with just enough details, information and even humor thrown in. As soon as she was finished she shared the article on her Facebook and then went back to the website, opening up five more articles by Pearl and at least four videos, the idea of watching Netflix completely forgotten.

“Spring Is Back And Pastels Are, Too.” “A Vegetarian’s Luxury Guide To Tokyo”. “You Haven’t Lived In New York Until You’ve Visited These Clubs.” Most of these things didn’t interest Laila at all, but she couldn’t stop reading, Pearl having an actual, intelligent insight into the vapid world of fashion, glamour and high society, forming her sentences with ease. It was like all the thoughts that the girl was never able to properly communicate in speaking were effortlessly flowing while written. It was a gift, and Pearl had it.

“Can you believe this, Turbo? She’s actually great. Oh my God, and she’s got videos, too. Let’s see that.”

Laila played a video called /What’s in your bag? with Alaska Honard/. In the intro, Pearl was messing around for laughs, posing for the camera with a microphone in her hand, making faces, until her expression turned full-on professional and she was standing next to a freakishly tall, slender woman with a nest of blond hair and impossibly long nails.

“Hello everybody, and welcome to /What’s in your bag?/. I’m Pearl Liaison, but you all know that, and today I have a pleasure of hanging out with one of my favorite people in the world: the head of Galactica’s makeup department, Alaska!”

Alaska spoke calmly and slowly, showing Pearl and the camera the items she was carrying around in her gigantic Chanel bag. Pearl, meanwhile, was /alive/; she was cracking jokes, giving Alaska subtle compliments, filling in all the air time so there was no silences. She was a natural, like she was born to be in the spotlight, and she looked so, so good. Laila had a moment of absolute clarity: that was Pearl’s job, and she was nothing but kickass at it.

The video ended and Laila checked the time. She still had three hours before she had to get ready, so she grabbed a pint of ice cream from the fridge, pulled Turbo closer to her stomach, and taking a deep breath before she fired up another Pearl video.

  
***  
  
“Are these all the shoes you could pull?” Violet looked at Ivy. The two girls were in the wardrobe, surrounded by piles upon piles and racks upon racks as Ivy had pulled every single item she could find from the depths of the closet that Galactica owned.. The news of the budget cuts had hit every department, and even though Raja had taken it in stride, her department was going to hit the hardest along with marketing.  Raja was responsible for the styling of every single model that appeared on the Galactica webshop, as well as every model who walked their runway during Fashion week.  
  
“It’s not much for now, but it’s all I could find… As far as I can see Fame asked for a dark, berry inspired and nostalgic aesthetic for the autumn collection.” Ivy pulled her phone out of her pocket, quickly finding the email Raja had forwarded to her. “We’re looking for a european fairytale princess traveling in the fall… Whatever that means.”

Ivy and Violets eyes met, the two girls suddenly giggling, unable to hold it in. They were both growing desperate and so they found companionship and a friend in the fact that at least they were on the journey together.

“I’m glad you’re the one who’s here…”

“Me too Violet, me too… Now I know Fame technically instructed that she was not interested in any beige, but I have a few never released prototype of some shoes Manila made two years ago that we could properly turn into something if we just redid the strap.. It’s worth a try, and as long as we use it for the longer dresses I’m sure it’ll be fine.”  
  
“I’ll see if I can get them approved.”  
  
***  
  
“Do you think I should fuck your friend Alaska?” Adore asked thoughtfully, sipping her beer.

“Uh…I don’t know. Do you want to fuck Alaska?” Courtney countered.

“I mean, sort of. She’s hot, and fun, and I haven’t had sex since Pearl. Ugh.” Adore shook her head.

“All valid reasons.”

“Yeah. I mean I know that she’s in love with someone else. But…I think we could still have fun together…you know?”

“As long as you don’t get too attached. I’ve seen you propose to girls you met 4 hours before.”

The cocktail waitress approached them and Adore ordered another beer. She looked at Courtney pointedly. “You’ve got a lot of catching up to do, bitch. That’s gonna be my third.”

Courtney laughed, still only halfway done with her vodka soda. “It tastes like rubbing alcohol.”

“Honey, my sister is buying. You don’t have to get well vodka.”

She winced at the mention of Bianca. Or maybe it was just the mention of Bianca’s money. “I…like well vodka. It’s gross and helps me drink slowly. You know I’m a lightweight.”

“Yeah ‘cause you’re so dainty…” Adore pinched Courtney’s cheek lightly.

Courtney fluttered her eyelashes flirtatiously. “Exactly.”

“So…speaking of Bianca…”

“We weren’t, but go on…”

“…how is that going?”

“Great. She’s awesome. She introduced me to this producer, and I’m gonna–”

“That’s not what I mean and you know it. Has she popped your lesbian cherry yet?”

Courtney groaned. “That is a vile expression.”

“Avoiding the question. Interesting.”

“Well what do you want me to say, Adore?!” Courtney exclaimed. “I mean she’s perfectly respectful. She hasn’t touched me. Like at all. Even once.”

Adore laughed. “Yeah, and how do you feel about that?”

“I’m going out of my fucking mind,” Courtney admitted, causing Adore to guffaw and nearly spit out her drink. “I swear to god, if she kisses me on the cheek on more time, I’m gonna burn the apartment down. I mean…not on purpose…just…”

Adore was laughing so hard that she was doubled over, practically laying down in the booth. “Poor bae…Firepussy…”

Courtney covered her face with her hands.

The waitress returned just then with Adore’s beer and two shots. “Hey ladies. I heard you talking about how the vodka soda didn’t taste very good, so here are some Kamikazes on the house.” She winked.

“Oh my god, MARRY ME!” Adore cried. “And tell her she has to do both of them.” She shoved her shot across the table. “Here Courtney, drink this.”

Courtney laughed. “I can’t do two shots in a row like that. I’ll end up in the hospital.”

“Pffft! Come on, Court, do it for–what’s your name?”

“Marisa.”

“Do it for Marisa. She really wants you to. Don’t you Marisa?” Adore threw her arm around the pretty brunette.

“I really, really do,” said Marisa.

Courtney sighed good-naturedly. “Well, for Marisa…” She downed the first shot as Adore clapped her hands.

“More! More! More!”

Courtney raised the second shot glass.

“What are we toasting to?” Adore asked, clinking her bottle against Courtney’s glass.

“Guess,” Courtney said, downing the shot with a wicked grin.

Adore laughed. “Okay, to my sister getting her fucking act together.” She chugged half of her beer.

“Well, it was nice meeting you ladies, but that table over there is calling me. Here’s your tab.” She walked over to the other table, glancing back at Adore over her shoulder.

“Dude, that’s her phone number!” said Courtney.

“That’s right bitch, I’m back in the game. Now…wanna go next door and dance all this repressed sexual energy out?”

“God, yes…”  
  
***  
  
“Trixie, I have to sit down.”

Katya dumped her body on the nearest chair in the clinic’s waiting room, Trixie sitting down right by her side, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. They just left the doctor’s office and Katya’s head was spinning with all the new information.

“Alright. Need anything? Water? I can get you water.”

She nodded, Trixie quickly walking away to a water distributor, coming back with a white plastic cup, a couple of lonely tears falling down from Katya’s eyes to her skirt before she reached for the cup, gulping the liquid down.

“How am I already 16 weeks pregnant, Trixie? How? How terrible a person I have to be not to notice for that long?” Her palm rested on top of the bump on her stomach, that was definitely there now that she put her mind to it. According to the doctor, the baby was now the size of an avocado.

“Come on, stop that right now. You’re not terrible. Everything is fine, you’re healthy, our kid is healthy and has all the limbs in all the right places, so hey, only five months to go now, alright?” Trixie kept rubbing her shoulder and kissing her cheek. His smiling, proud face that radiated all the joy in the world was the only thing she could look at before, while the doctor performed the ultrasound. She couldn’t force herself to peek at the screen, but Trixie held her hand, the doctor’s calm voice narrating the experience for her. There was nothing to worry about. Katya got scheduled for some additional bloodwork and another appointment in a month and that was it. They couldn’t tell the sex of the baby yet, but that was okay, that was not an information Katya cared much about at this point.

“The size of an avocado”, she kept muttering to herself pointlessly, trying to see with her mind what was going on beneath the skin of her stomach, hoping that maybe somehow she would be able to see the little hands move, look into the little beads of eyes and apologize to her unborn child that she was being a terrible mom from the very start.

“Do you want to look at the photo now?” asked Trixie, holding out a printout from their ultrasound.

“Okay”, she replied weakly. There was no point in putting that off any longer, she thought, Trixie gently putting the picture on Katya’s lap. She picked it up, air fluttering in her lungs.

It was an actual human person, an real, living, breathing, 16-weeks-old human being that was living inside of her. Katya held the photo, her hand starting to shake so terribly Trixie had to hold onto it for steadiness. She could make out the baby’s legs, shoulders, an elbow and even tiny little fingers, a hand blocking the baby’s face from their view, but something tore through Katya’s heart, something so powerful and mighty that it almost scared her.

“Oh my God. Hi”, she whispered, touching the printed baby’s head with her fingertips, Trixie’s reassuring arm around her grounding her. “Hi, my little avocado. Hello.” She couldn’t stop the tears from falling. Katya was still terrified, convinced that she was not supposed to ever be a mother, that as a former addict she was not good enough, but suddenly she felt strong enough to at least try. She looked at Trixie, his face wet from tears as well, and grabbed his hand to lay it on her stomach.

“We’re going to be just fine”, he said, and Katya knew that he meant the three of them, because from that point on, it was always going to be three of them. Their little family.

  
***

Periwinkle satin, periwinkle satin, periwinkle satin. What was the damned code for periwinkle satin? Shane had assured Betty that they had the particular color in abundance, but she couldn’t find it, hurling between warehouse aisles, searching every shelf, when she heard somebody raging.

“Of course, of course there are no fucking pearls left! Because this day wasn't’t shitty enough already. It’s not like I had to deal with flower arrangements and caterers and having to call in yet /another/ favour from a friend because Fame decides she wants glitter rain on the runway, because that’s soooo easy to do. This is so fucking typical. Of course it’s not a problem, Miss Fame, no no, it’s fine, I’ll fix everything because some incompetent bimbo has left a mess behind, it’s not like I have anything to do, or hopes and dreams for that matter, It’s not like I’m talking to myself in the warehouse or that I can’t do something as simple anymore as find some /fucking/ pearls in vb7k2!”

Violet was in the next aisle, slamming drawer after drawer shut with unusual force, stomping in place in what looked like - anger? Yeah, she was definitely pissed off as she sat down on the floor, cross-legged, tearing at her hair, growling furiously. Betty had never heard Violet talk so much before, expect the time when she was so shitfaced after their night at the bar that the poor girl had tried to put pineapple pizza into her boyfriend’s pockets to smuggle it home for a treat the next day.

“Hey Shitchki. Are you having a bad day?” Betty stepped into the aisle where Violet was having her breakdown, nonchalantly leaning against the shelves, not caring that she was basically taunting the other girl.

“Oh my God! Betty.” Violet looked up at Betty, clear surprise on her face, like Betty really had scared her. “Are you trying to give me a heart attack?”

“Fame is still riding your ass, huh? For what it’s worth, sorry, kiddo.”

Violet didn’t even say /yeah, sure you are/ like she normally would, two streams of angry tears flowing down her cheeks as she muttered, “And now I’m ruining my makeup too… All I wanted was to find some pearls so I could finish the gown and look at me… I’m a mess….” Violet didn’t even try to hide herself, and Betty felt a stab of worry. This didn’t seem like Violet at all.

“I might know where the pearlszx are. Hang on.” Betty wasn’t going to admit that she used the pearls just yesterday and that she had simply put them away in the first empty slot that was available. She wasn’t ready to face more actual, human emotions from Violet than what she had just witnessed, no thank you. The box with pearls was just where Betty left it, and she quickly carried it to Violet, the girl wiping her eyes with the edge of her sleeve.

“Here. Problem solved. Stop crying now, you look disgusting.”

“I - Betty, you don’t understand. Nothing is finished for Fashion Week, nothing. I have to make up for literally months of Courtney drinking Diet Coke and playing Candy Crush instead of actually working!”

“There, there. You’re already used to doing three times a normal workload, aren’t you? You’re gonna be just fine.” Betty put a hand on Violet’s arm, squeezing, feeling the impossibly tight muscles underneath and Violet sighed deeply, Betty saying words she knew she’d regret as soon as they left her mouth. “Do you want me to help you with anything?”

Violet shook her head aggressively. “Thank you, Betty, I really appreciate. But no. I have to do this myself. It’s my fault Courtney was even here in the first place, and I was supposed to train her. Miss Fame was counting on me, and I failed. I have to clean this up.“

“Alright, it’s your call. Just - if you change your mind, you know where to find me.”

Betty swiftly wiped a mascara stain off Violet’s cheek and then turned to continue her search for periwinkle satin.

“On second thought, Betty?”

“Yeah?”

Violet collected her hair into a bun, smiling at Betty slightly. “Next time you need something from down here, how about you try to put the pearls back where they belong.”

“Aaaand she’s back!”

***

Trixie took a deep breath, pushing open the glass door to Fame’s front office. He had timed this visit perfectly, making sure that Violet wouldn’t be there, because he needed to talk to Fame, and he needed to talk to Fame alone.

Trixie knocked on the door to Fame’s office, gently opening it, not getting scared off by Fame’s surprised expression at his presence in her space. “Hey, do you, like… have a minute? I need to tell you something.”

Fame closed her laptop, her dog, a great dane named Charles that Trixie had said hi to several times, was napping by the window. “Sure, sure, of course I have time…”

Fame stood up, taking a seat on the couch that was only for special visitors, urging Trixie to take a seat besides her with her body language.

“What’s wrong? Is this about the party? I know you’re upset, but-”

“Fame, can I just… I need to tell you something.”

“Yes, of course, I’m sorry.” Fame seemed almost unapologetic, her clever eyes scanning Trixie’s face, as if she was trying to figure out what he was hiding. Trixie took another deep breath.

“I can’t come to Europe.”

“What? What do you mean?”

“I can’t go to Europe, you have to find someone else.”

“No.” Fame stood up. “This is unacceptable, Trixie, you have to, you are a valued member of my team and I cannot do this without you- I can’t believe it, what is your excuse?” Fame was pacing, and Trixie knew this couldn’t have come at a worse time for Fame, the woman already torn up at all the changes that had happened in her organisation recently.

“I can’t believe you’re doing this to me, after everything we have been through, after I allowed Katya to come with you last year. Is this how you repay for my kindness?-”

“Katya’s pregnant.”

“…. What?” Fame stopped dead in her tracks, turning to her director of design to look at him. “What did you just say?”

“I’m not going. Katya is pregnant and I need to stay home with her…” Trixie knew he was standing his ground, that this could possibly turn into the biggest argument he and Fame had ever had, but then the woman deflated completely before she sat down next to Trixie again, a hand on his leg.

“And you’re sure?”

“We already went to the doctor.”

“How far along is she?”

“4 months… It seems like Paris really is the city of love… Do you want to see the picture?”

“I’d love to.”

The moment Trixie handed Fame the small, grainy black and white picture, the woman started crying. “Oh Trixie, I’m so happy for you… How is Katya? Wait, I’ll send her a basket instead. Does everyone know? What is the baby’s gender? Have you thought of names? Do you think a Gabanna romper would be too much?”

Trixie smiled, giving Fame the tissues he had packed as well since he knew the woman was a crier. Fame was one of his oldest friends, the woman always there for him through every change that had happened in his adult life.

“We call it avo for now, after an avocado. The doctor said that about the size it is and we don’t know its gender yet… My half-sister says it’s a girl from the shape of Katya’s stomach, she claims to be in touch with nature and all that crap, but I don’t really believe her.”

Fame smiled, her arms wrapping around Trixie in a tight hug, the two embracing and Trixie could feel all of his tension leave his body.

“I’ll take care of everything… Stay home, I got it.”

“Thank you, Fame.”

“Don’t thank me, this is what family does.”

***  
It was quite calm at Cat Scratch at 4 PM and Laila loved that shift, refering to it as “the one in normal people hours”. She could leave the bar at 6 and still have some energy to do something interesting with her night. She was wiping glasses, Pearl perched by the far corner of the counter with her laptop, typing energetically. She has been here for almost an hour already, Laila unable to fully understand the purpose of this. Pearl could work from her office or her house; even Laila’s apartment had better working conditions, but she still showed up, giving Laila a wet kiss right on the mouth that made all of Laila’s coworkers turn their heads. It was good, Laila wanted everybody to see her ravishing girlfriend, especially Ashley, who made it clear she despised Laila because she was gay. Pearl announced that she was going to get the last things done before Fashion Week starts tomorrow, asked for a glass of club soda and never spoke since.

“Hey, can I get a refill please? That’d be awesome!”

Pearl’s hair was pulled up in a high ponytail and she really was a sight for sore eyes, Laila needing a beat before she could nod, grabbing Pearl’s glass to quickly refill it.

“Are you sure you want to be here, Pearl?”

“I want to spend as much time with you as I can before I leave for three weeks. I sent Fame a fruit basket and she didn’t give me an extra ticket? Can you believe it? I have done everything for that woman, even, like, held her hand during 10-hour flights. Do you realise how dry your hands can get in that time period?”

“Very dry?”

Laila grinned at Pearl, the other girl smiling, too, reaching out to touch Laila’s face. Pearl’s annoyance at being unable to take Laila to that Galactica party was so adorable Laila didn’t even tell Pearl that she was secretely very, very grateful that she didn’t have to go. She had been dreading that, knowing it meant meeting even more high-society friends and coworkers of Pearl, and that didn’t end that well the last time. Adore’s disappointed face was still haunting Laila in her nightmares.

“Oh shit man, I gotta go.” Pearl quickly gulped down some of her drink and started to pack up her laptop. “I’m picking up Bible at the airport, she’s flying in from Monaco.”

“Bible?”

“I told you about Bible, didn’t I? She’s my sister from another mister, and like, my best friend besides Trixie. You have to meet her. I’ll try to sneak you into this rad party in Harlem, it’ll be fine.”

“Can’t wait”, answered Laila, half-joking, presenting Pearl her cheek to kiss.

“I’ll see you later tonight, okay BonBon? I want to spend every moment with you that I can.”

Warmth spread through Laila’s chest. She could already imagine a thousand things she could do to give Pearl a proper send-off before Europe.

“Of course. Take care.”

Pearl slipped a bill onto the counter on top of some coins, leaning over to give Laila one last kiss, and then she run out. Laila picked up her glass to clean up, only then noticing that the bill Pearl left as a tip was 100 dollars.

With a smile of affection, Laila folded the bill and stuffed it in her bra.

***  
“Hey.”

Violet hadn’t been able to meet him at the airport, but here she was, a tired smile on her face. Sutan couldn’t help but think back to the first weeks of their relationship, the first times Violet came over, how alike this was to then. Violet was still in her work clothes, her arms filled with bags and things she had to bring home with her.

“Hey.”

Sutan gave Violet a quick kiss, taking her bags from her, enjoying the fact that she was finally here. He looked at Violet who was trying to get her shoes off, the project a lot more difficult than Sutan had imagined it could be.

“…. Come here.”

***

“Baby, I told you to lay still.”

Violet smiled. She was lying stomach-down on the bed, the sheets so soft against her, the smell of them fresh. Violet still felt a little weird about having a boyfriend who had a housekeeper, but right in this moment she was so grateful for Vanessa’s presence in her life, even though she had never met the woman.

“Are you sure you know what you’re doing?”

“This is an Indonesian massage, I’m Indonesian, of course I know what I’m doing.”

Violet felt Sutan’s hands, slick with oil, slowly gliding over her body. It was intimate and she couldn’t help but tense up, making Sutan chuckle. He was sitting on her legs, his hands slowly and surely working over her bare back.

“Calm down. Your back is all tense. I promise I won’t hurt you.”

“Even if I like it?”

Violet blushed all over, horrified at her own words, but they had left her and there was no taking them back now. Violet waited, the seconds seeming like they dragged on forever, but then she heard Sutan laugh, the man thankfully not mad at what she had said.

Sutan leaned down and Violet shivered. His clothed chest came into contact with her back, the fabric of his shirt clinging to her skin, his mouth close to her ear. “Do you like me hurting you?” Sutan’s voice was low, the deep baritone filling her belly with pleasure, the sound resonating through her.

“Sometimes…”

Sutan’s breath was warm, his hands still working up and down her arms, making her shiver. “Only sometimes?”

“Yes… But I wish you did it more…” Violet couldn’t believe what she was saying, but she felt so relaxed, so safe, pushed and pressed down into the mattress, his scent everywhere, her skin so sensitive.

“You do?” Sutan nipped Violet’s ear, making her shiver.

“Mmh… I do…”

Sutan kissed her cheek, sitting back up, his hands kneading her shoulders, the two falling into a comfortable silence, Violet’s secret now out in the open until Sutan’s hands lulled her into a peaceful slumber, her boyfriend lying down besides her, a kiss on her forehead before he turned the lights out.

***

“Okay everyone! Hello! My name is Ivy Winters. I need everyone to get in place! Thank you, thank you. I’ll be your main director at this show, so I need all of you do to everything I say! Raja Amrull and Miss Fame must be obeyed even over mine or Violet’s instructions. Is this clear? Good! This is the final fitting before the show tomorrow and we need everything to run perfectly smooth! Models, get in line for hair and makeup and we will start running you through your the scenography as soon as Violet gets the final thumbs up from our contractors. Dresser, the designers will be here for a little while longer, so familiarise yourself with the garments, this is our last shot at making sure everything runs smoothly before tomorrow. Ready, set, go!”

 

***

“Thank you so much for doing this.” Violet gave Boomer a hug, the man wearing a black shirt over his work pants. Violet took a step back, looking over the runway.

“It’s my pleasure.” Boomer smiled. The two were standing in the front area, staff putting chairs out for the guests, everything almost ready to start the next day. Boomer and his men had been working on making the glitter confetti rain Fame wanted, a few workers still up under the ceiling putting in the last bags of the gold glitter known from Galactica’s logo.

“I’m sorry I called on you again, but I didn’t know who else to ask… It all looks amazing.” Violet smiled, a hand on Boomer’s arm. She had called him when Fame had thrown in the idea of a glitter finish to their show.

“You should have asked us in the first place, buttercup.” Boomer laughed, quickly showing his men where they were supposed to go while still keeping distance between and him and Violet. “You know all I want in return for a rush order is a dinner with you, you still owe me one from last time.”

“A dinner, you say? Can a lunch be accepted instead?”

Violet smiled and reached into her purse, taking out a paper bag that contained two sandwiches, drinks and extra chips and a muffin for Boomer.

“What? Really?” Boomer smiled brightly.

“Do you have time to eat now?” Violet looked almost a little shy, happy when Boomer agreed. The two sat down at the end of the runway, Violet quickly dividing the food between them.

“Did you keep all of this in your Chenal? Aren’t you scared of ruining it?”

Violet almost choked on her drink in surprise. “My Chenal?”

“Your bag.” Boomer pointed to the Chanel bag that was resting by her side. It was the one Sutan had given her, and one of Violet’s favorite items. Violet couldn’t help but laugh now that she understood what Boomer had tried to say.

“Oh, oh, no. It’s a Chanel, not a Chenal. How do you spend so much time working at fashion companies without knowing that brand name?”

“I’m sorry. I don’t know shit about fashion” Boomer smiled.

“Violet!” The two turned around, spotting Alaska who was standing on the stage, waving to Violet. “Come on! I need you backstage, now!”  
  
“Give me a minute!” Violet stood up, quickly cleaning up after herself. “I have to go, I’m sorry. Catch you later?”

“Not if I catch you first.”  
  
***  
“Fine, fine, fine, fine, fin-…. Betty, could you come here for a minute?” Raja’s voice made Betty freeze in place. The fashion director has been going through the racks of design items, checking if all styling was on point and ready for Fashion Week. Violet’s final dress, that was hanging at the end of the rack, was still only half done, but Raja has merely glanced at it, not saying a word.

Betty put down her cup of coffee. She was filled with dread; Raja hated her, and if she wanted something from Betty, it couldn’t be good.

“Yes?”

“Aren’t these your pants?” Raja pointed to a pair of dark blue pants that were, indeed, Betty’s design.

“They are.”

“Then why, pray tell, are the buttons brass, when your presentation had copper?”

Betty took the hanger from Raja to closely inspect the item of clothing, and suddenly she felt like slipping into the void. The buttons were brass - stupid tailors must’ve made a mistake. It wasn’t a huge difference, the pants still looked good and Raja shouldn’t really care, she was just being a bully.

“The tailors must have changed it.” Betty dared to look Raja in the eyes, the other woman’s expression cold and threatening, and Betty knew she didn’t stand a snowball’s chance in hell to win this standoff.

“I don’t care who messed up, Betty. What you got approved was a pair of dark blue pants with /copper/ detailing. This is not it. Fix it.”

“What? But I can’t, the pants are already done, and all the tailors are swamped, nobody would do it.”

“This is your responsibility, this is your job. Fix it. I don’t care how.”

“… Yes.”

“Good.” Raja turned back to the rack, not even sparing Betty one last look as she continued going through clothes.

Trying not to explode with anger, Betty, holding onto the damned pants, took a few steps back so that she was sure Raja couldn’t hear, and muttered, “And screw you, too.” She was going to sew the new buttons in herself; there was no other option. But first, she was going to yell at some tailors.

***

“So… Katya and I have an announcement.”

Max looked up from his box of Chinese, a piece of broccoli halfway to his mouth. The roommates were all gathered, along with Laila and Trannika, for one last meal before the madness of Fashion Week started.

“What is it?” Violet had been picking her food, not really all there which Max could understand, the girl’s mind focused on the finale gown that still had details she needed to get done. Max had heard sounds from Violet rooms all hours of the day, her sewing machine clicking away most nights when he had gone to get a new cup of tea.

Max focused on Katya who looked like she was sweating slightly, the Russian clearly nervous and Max had no idea why. Trixie was smiling, his face so bright with happiness that Max could barely look at him.

“Well…” Trixie took Katya’s hand, clearly ready to make his announcement when Katya just blurted it out.

“I’m pregnant! I’m 4 months along and we’re having a boy!”

There was complete silence around the table at first, and then everyone broke out in cheers, the roommates all talking on top of each other, everyone trying to get to Katya and Trixie, all of them hugging and kissing and even crying in Pearl’s case, the girl saying again and again how happy she was for her friends.

Max had ran to his room as fast as he could after Katya had made her announcement, returning with his camera and snapping picture after picture of the happy occasion.

***  
  
“Raven, please stand still, this material is very delicate.“ Violet was doing her best to finish sewing the tall model into the delicate confection of a couture gown she had prepared for the finishing look at the runway. Violet glanced up at the clock. They had less than 20 minutes until the show started and there was still so much to do. Everything would be okay though if she could only get this seam done. Raven straightened up, standing still as possible at Violet’s command.

The energy backstage was almost manic, like a tightened spring just waiting to snap at the slightest touch.

Fame was running around checking lights and sound, snapping at people left and right. Raja was barking orders, making sure the models were all going through hair and makeup so they were ready. Raja yelled at a girl that Raven vaguely recognised as Tatianna, forcing the girl to drown a bottle of water and Raven rolled her eyes. Of course a newbie like her had forgotten to take care of herself. Trixie was there too, cute and frazzled like he always was whenever Raven saw hi, scurrying to make sure there weren’t any loose ends on the garments… Literally.   
  
It was utter chaos and absolutely electric and Raven felt the pre-show high. This was what she lived for, these heart-pounding moments when everything could fall apart with a single mistake. The adrenaline was like a drug and she was addicted.   
  
“God, I love moments like this.” Raven whispered to herself as she looked around the fitting area.  
  
“Okay…” Violet slowly stood up, eyeing her work. “As long as your heel doesn’t hook into the hem, everything will be fine, just… Walk slowly out there, okay? Please?”

“I promise.”

Violet smiled, taking another step back to look at the dress and Raven too.

“I think it’s good.. Do you want to see it?”  
  
“When have I ever turned down a chance to stare at myself?” Raven asked, stepping down from the pedestal she had been standing on while Violet was sewing the final details on the dress.

“Hey Betty, excuse me, sorry. Is this mirror free?“ Violet looked at Betty, the woman sitting cross-legged on the floor, helping Manila glue rhinestones onto a pair of heels from the wardrobe that Ivy had found. There was a lot of reuse of accessories going on.  
  
“Yeah sure, whatever.” Betty didn’t even look up, all of her concentration going into her task.  
  
“Violet… I look beautiful.”

Violet turned around, seeing Raven who was standing in front of the mirror, looking at herself. The gown was a fantasy of gold and tiny flower appliqués that had to be sewn in by hand.  
  
“I look like the princess my father always told me I was when I was little.” Raven twirled in the dress giggling with joy, almost giving Violet a heart attack.

“Raven! Please!” Violet reached out, grabbing Raven’s hips, keeping the woman still. “Be careful!”

“I feel so beautiful.” Raven said with a face-splitting grin.  
  
Raven was in heaven, this dress was /her/ dress. It was her “Russian fantasy” realized, the dress she had dreamt of when she was little.

The gown was a multi-tiered gold silk chiffon confection, with tiny purple and gold flower appliqués that were hand-sewn around the entire gown. It was built like a strapless dress, but it had loose, thin, almost translucent, French lace sleeves that also had small gold flowers and jewels sewn into them.

It was absolutely exquisite. When she was a child, Raven’s mother would read her a bedtime story about a Russian princess, and the princess in the story had worn a dress similar to the one Raven was wearing right now, but in pink.

“Violet. I don’t care what it will costs me,“ Raven started, facing Violet, “but I want this. I will buy this dress and the design from you. I don’t care about your prize. I don’t want anyone else to have it.”  
  
“…. What?”

“You heard me, I want this dress, I’ll buy it from Fame if you don’t own the design.”  
  
"Are you serious?” Violet started at Raven, her hand covering her mouth and Raven could see the scratches, blisters and cuts that were decorating Violet’s slim fingers.  
  
“Violet Chachki, I want this gown and I will beat anyone who stands in my way of getting it.”

“I’m sure we can figure something out…” Violet smiled, disbelief still in her eyes.

  
***  
  
Fame held her breath as she watched the show on the backstage screen, the thing sending a live feed from the videocamera Maxs friend was operating at the end of the runway, while Max was taking pictures. There first model had done well, Tita something in a dress made by Alexis, the proportions of the garment on her thankfully okay. Fames nails were drumming against the table next to her. The runway was a cascade of gold and white, the looks all representative of the Galactica Brand, and she felt a surge of pride for her design team and the tailors they had employed. They had once again made a miracle happen, and Fame promised herself that next season it would be different. Next season, everything would go well. Fame had used a lot of younger models, and they all looked the part, but Fame generally didn’t trust models further than she could throw them, least of all when they did runway. It was one of the reasons why she kept bringing Raven back upagain and again for their closing looks. She knew exactly what she would get, and she knew that Raven would pull through every single time. The light turned off for a split second, the music changed, and then Raven stepped out on the runway in the gown Violet had made and Fame felt her body relax. Everything would be okay now. Fame turned to Raja, quickly letting her second in command check over her outfit before she made her way over so she could step out on the runway and say thank you for the night, the models all lined up to go again the moment Raven came off.

They had made it, and everything would be okay.

***

Bianca got up from her seat, thinking to herself what an impressive show she’d seen, especially that breathtaking finale dress. She couldn’t help picturing Courtney in it, twirling around like a little doll. She felt a little conflicted about whether to go to the party. She’d gotten an invite, but for the first time, no handwritten note from Fame or Raja, and when she’d walked into the show, Fame had turned her back, clearly not wanting to talk to her.

She tried one more time to catch the blonde’s eye, but to no avail. She turned to leave and just as she was about to escape, she heard a familiar voice. “Leaving so soon?”

Bianca turned around. “Hey, Detox. What’s up?”

“Don’t play coy with me, Bianca Del Rio. Why are you running out so fast? Got a hot date?” Detox smirked, his eyes glittering in the low light like they always did when he was on the trail of a good story.

“If you must know–”

“Always!”

“Yes, I have dinner plans.”

Detox crossed his arms. “You made dinner plans on the day of Fame’s show? Really?”

“What’s it to ya?”

Detox smiled, that slimy smile that said he knew something about you. Bianca rolled her eyes.

“Grow up, dude.” She turned again to leave.

“Tell your new girlfriend hey for me!” Detox called after her.

She whirled around. “You are barking up the wrong tree, my friend.”

Detox snickered. “Suuure I am. Bye, B.”

***

The genuine smile on Fame’s face after the show closed was everything Trixie needed as confirmation that they did great. His mind trying to be elsewhere at the moment; he wanted to be home with Katya and the baby, but he promised Fame to hang around at the party at least for a while. Somebody still needed to pay their bills.

Trixie hesitated for a second before grabbing a champagne flute, before realizing he wasn’t actually the pregnant one and he was allowed alcohol. He took a sip and came face to face with Chad Michaels, the head buyer for Saks Fifth Avenue, looking ravishing in a cranberry cocktail dress.

“Trixie.” She grabbed him painfully by the elbow, her expression almost manic. “The closing dress. Please tell me I’m the first one, because I think I’m jumping off the Brooklyn Bridge if I don’t get it.”

“Okay, Chad, slow down.” Trixie shook off Chad’s hand, trying to concentrate. She was one of the most important buyers, and a loyal one, constantly photographed in their designs and never shying away from praising the brand. Of course she would want Violet’s dress. Their newest designer had really outdone herself yet again: the closing gown was something to behold, meticulously hand-crafted with a plethora of details, gold and purple flower appliques and French lace sleeves, and it was definitely going to cost a pretty penny.

Trixie recalled seeing the ready design for the first time, so proud of Violet that his heart grew. When he told her how amazing she did and saw the joy on her face, he knew that was one of the moments that made him love his job.

Trixie spoke carefully. “I’m very, very sorry, Chad. It’s already been sold.”

“I’ll be damned.” Chad downed her entire champagne glass, her expression sour. “I know you can’t tell me who bought it, but please be sure that when I see the bitch wearing it in public, I’ll accidentally spill red wine all over her.”

Trixie sure hoped she was kidding, but you could never be sure with Chad. He laughed nervously, then had a brilliant thought when he spotted Violet a short ways away. “Chad, my dear, please don’t move an inch. I’ll going to bring you another drink and some great news.”

Chad nodded, looking slightly bored and quite peeved.

Trixie put his arm around Violet from behind and swiped another glass of champagne from a tray, speaking softly and quickly into her ear. “Chad Michaels from Saks is obsessed with your finale dress. I told her it already sold and she’s pissed. We gotta make her happy though so think fast.”

He led a bewildered Violet back over to Chad, a big smile plastered across his face, trying to hide the fact that he was sweating bullets.

“Chad! Please allow me to introduce our newest designer, Violet Chachki.”

“Charmed,” Chad said dryly, taking the champagne from Trixie.

“Ms. Michaels, it is such an incredible honor to meet you.” Violet knew enough not to mention that they’d spoken on the phone dozens of times, whenever she was connecting her with Fame.

“Mmm.” Chad looked around.

“Violet is the one who designed that finale gown.”

Suddenly Chad’s entire face changed as her eyes lit up. “That. Gown. Was. Spectacular!! I feel like gouging the eyes out of whoever swiped it from me!” Her eyes glittered mischievously as she linked arms with Violet.

“Ms. Michaels, I’m so sorry about that gown being unavailable for purchase, but, uh…do you think…I mean would you like for me to make another gown for you? I know the amFAR gala is coming up in a few months and I would be thrilled to design–”

“A custom piece?! Oh my lord, I would love that! I don’t care what it costs, we must work together. Come, darling, let’s go have a chat with some of my colleagues to discuss how we can possibly transform your beautiful creations into ready to wear. Have you ever thought of doing bridal wear?”

Violet beamed as Chad whisked her away, getting an encouraging wink from Trixie. He sighed, relieved, and then ducked around the corner, wiping down his brow and pulling out his phone to call Katya.

***

“Mmmm, you looked so good,” groaned Raven into a heated kiss she shared with Raja as she tugged the taller woman closer. They had managed to sneak away in an empty media booth for the first bit of private time in almost a month.

“If I thought Fame and Violet wouldn’t be absolutely traumatized at the destruction of the dress, I’d rip it off you,” whispered Raja as she held her fiancée closer, laying kisses under her ear. “You look breathtaking.”

“Baby, I greatly desire this dress,” whimpered Raven as she felt herself step on the back of the dress slightly. “Baby, my dress.”

“What of it?” asked Raja, crouching down on her knees in front of Raven, holding eye contact with her.

“I was stepping on it. As Violet said, it’s delicate,” she said as she watched Raja disappear under the skirt of her dress.

“That’s why I was blessed with balance and yoga,” replied Raja. She shifted onto her hands and curled her body into itself as her arms supported her entire body weight. “No underwear,” she remarked as her eyes adjusted to the change. “How naughty of you.”

“Well, you know, I live at the nude beaches of Ibiza,” squealed Raven as she felt Raja’s tongue skate up her inner thigh. Anyone could walk in and see them; hell they may even have cameras in here filming this whole thing.

“You don’t say,” Raja replied as she stuck her tongue out to lick lightly at the semi exposed piercing. “Lift your leg over my shoulder and stand straight,” instructed Raja as she freed the hem of Raven’s beloved dress while also reaping the rewards of her kind gesture.

“Raja, you’re so bad,” Raven sighed as she felt Raja toy with her Christina piercing with her tongue. “Anyone could see me,” she moaned out, barely audible over the music.

Raja bit the top of her clit lightly before giving it a soft lick. “That’s the best part, princess,” she said, before she leaned her body forward to suck on Raven’s clit again.

“Mmmmh,” groaned Raven as her leg started to quake slightly, forcing her to put more weight onto Raja’s shoulders. “Baby…I…someone,” she tried to stutter out as she tried to warn Raja about someone she could see was headed towards the booth while trying not to cry out.

“Oh! Surprised to see you here,” started Boomer as he came into the little booth. “Great dress.”

“Thank…you.” Raven struggled to say as she tried not to focus on Raja who was rolling her clit around in small circles with her tongue. “I feel,” Raven started before pausing to regain her composure. “I feel so good it it.”

“Well you know, if you look good, you feel good.” Boomer said with an easy smile at the tall woman. “But what are you doing in here?” He asked as he bent down to look into a box of cables, less than a foot away from Raja, much to Raven’s horror and delight. “I figured you would be with Fame and the others.”

“I needed some alone time and to cool down from the show,” Raven gritted out as she felt herself come closer, watching Boomer and how close he was to Raja under the dress.

“Oh ok, that’s cool,” Boomer said as he came to stand up after finding the cables he needed. “I know this will be a crazy question, but have you seen Raja?” he asked. “Miss Fame has been looking for her. Latrice Royale wants to talk to them or something,” he said as he scratched his head.

“Well I’ll definitely let her know…if I see her,” she said, her voice slightly strained as she felt Raja blow cool air on her oversensitive clit.

“Alright thanks, Miss Fame told me if I saw you to give you the message, because you’ll probably know where she is,” he said as she checked his phone.

“Fuck!” Raven said as she felt her orgasm hit. “Sorry,” she said quickly, noticing his confused look. “Charley horse.”

“Yeah, those heels I saw you all wear are definitely killers, that’s for sure. Are you okay?”

Raven shut her eyes to try and calm her breathing as she felt Raja kiss her inner thigh lightly. “Yeah I’m fine, don’t worry about me,” she said, waving her hand.

“Ok, well I have to go and repair a speaker wire but if you need any help to your car or whatever, just let me or one of my guys know and we got you covered.” Boomer said as he grabbed a small tool box.

“Thanks,“ Raven said as Boomer finally left.

“Is he gone?” Raja asked after waiting a few moments.

“No thanks to you,” Raven grumbled out as she watched her fiancée reappear from under gown. “I was so close, Raja!” she whisper-yelled at the taller woman as she straightened her white bodysuit out.

“But you weren’t found out so we win.” Raja said simply as she looked at her makeup on her front facing camera.

“You’re a terrible human being.”

“Who just made you cum,” Raja shot back, cutting her eyes at Raven. “Am I really that bad?”

“The worst.”

***

Detox stood by the bar, patiently nursing a gin and tonic, watching Fame for the perfect opportunity to pounce. Finally, the crowd around her thinned out and he had a window to corner her alone. He sidled up to her, a shit eating grin spread across his face.

“Trouble in BFF-land?” he asked.

Fame’s eyes flashed darkly for a split second and then she blinked innocently at him. “Whatever do you mean?”

“BDR raced out of here like a bat out of hell, the second the show was over. What gives?”

“Nothing. I’m sure she had plans.”

“Yes, so she claimed. I wonder if those plans involve a certain petite blonde…who used to be on your payroll.”

“I have no idea what you’re–”

“Don’t tell me that you don’t know she’s shacking up with your old assistant.”

“Please. I can hardly keep track of Bianca’s endless stream of bimbos.”

Detox let out a loud, braying laugh. “So it’s safe to say that this rift has nothing to do with her current…whatever she is?”

“There’s no rift, don’t be ridiculous. And as far as Bianca’s love life is concerned, I could care less. Maybe someday, someone will stick around long enough for me to learn their name, but until then–”

“Can I quote you on that?”

“Not on your life!”

“Fine, fine…man. You’re no fun at all.” Detox winked and strolled away, whistling.

***

“Hey.”

Violet turned around, a smile on her face since she would recognise that voice everywhere. The post show had been crazy, everyone scrambling to get everything cleaned up. It had been a total blur, people grabbing her and asking her questions from “where should these lightbulbs go” to “Marc Jacobs wants to know who did our styling”.

“Hey…” Violet stepped into Sutan’s arms, letting the man give her a hug before she titled her head up, accepting a kiss. They were a little away from the party, Violet taking a moment to actually breath now that the guests had finally made it to the just drinks part of the waiter served menu she had found for the night.

“The show was amazing.”

Violet couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “You saw it? Are you being honest right now, did you really see it?”

“Of course I did.” Sutan laughed, disbelief on his face. “Why would I lie about seeing the show?”

“Oh I’m sorry, I didn’t, I mean-”

“Mata Indah.” Sutan brushed a little of Violets hair behind her ear. “It’s okay, I’m okay, you’re okay.”

Violet nodded, relaxing a little again. “I’m sorry… You just said you would be busy so I assumed you wouldn’t be able to make it.”

“Well I did, and I’m very proud of you.”

“Thank you…” Violet smiled, leaning up to get another kiss. She couldn’t help but feel a little sad. Sutan had just gotten back from Aspen, and he was leaving for two weeks in Europe in just another few days, meaning she wouldn’t get to see him at all until they reunited in Paris.

“I’m going to miss you.”

“I’m going to miss you too.”

***

Courtney looked up from the TV, pausing it as the door opened and Bianca walked in.

“Hey! You’re early…I guess you didn’t go to the party?”

Bianca flopped down beside her tiredly on the sofa, kicking off her shoes. “Ugh. Yeah. Hi.”

“So…how was the show?” Courtney bit her fingers nervously.

“It was…pretty spectacular, actually. One of her best shows ever.”

Courtney breathed out a sigh of relief. Somehow, hearing how well everything went alleviated some of her nagging guilt over leaving.

“So what are you up to? Wanna get some dinner?”

“Sure!”

“Ummm, that pho place on the corner has some great vegan options. Or we could just get postmates to deliver By Chloe. What do you think?”

Courtney smiled. “You know, you don’t always have to eat vegan food with me. It’s really sweet, but I don’t want you to feel deprived.”

“I don’t feel deprived.” Bianca held her gaze for a few moments.

Her throat began to feel dry and she swallowed, hoping that Bianca couldn’t hear her pounding heartbeat. “Okay, well, then…let’s get By Chloe.”

Bianca grinned and pulled up the menu. “What do you want?”

Courtney leaned her head against the back of the sofa. “Surprise me,” she said, with a flirtatious smirk, playing with her hair.

Bianca ignored the shiver she felt, looking down at her phone to put in the order. She cleared her throat. “So, what were you watching?”

“Oh…it was–I’ve been recording this thing on PBS. About Broadway musicals. I like it because it also teaches me a lot I didn’t know about American history.”

“Oh yeah? Where are you now?”

“They’re about to get into the 60’s and 70’s.”

“Oh, this will be the best episode! Fosse, Stephen Schwartz, all those rock operas…go ahead and play it!”

“Really? We can watch something else if you–”

“If you were on the Porgy and Bess episode, I might want to watch something else. Cause that’s some racist nonsense. But I’m all about this shit. Let’s see some hippies sing about the bible.”

Courtney laughed and pressed play, shyly offering Bianca half of her blanket, wishing she had the guts to tuck herself under her arm, but enjoying the closeness nonetheless. Her heart raced every time Bianca’s forearm brushed against hers, and she inched closer, feeling her skin getting tingly.

It was during a clip of “Maybe This Time” from Cabaret when she finally felt brave enough to risk laying a head on Bianca’s shoulder, when suddenly the buzzer rang loudly. Bianca jumped up to answer the door and left Courtney on the sofa, fists clenched in her lap.

She returned with the food, now sitting down on the opposite side of the couch, taking out containers and laying them on the table. “Dig in! I got a bunch of random stuff, including that fake mac and cheese you love. I told them to put extra mushroom bacon on it.”

Courtney sighed, wrapping the blanket tighter around herself, and smiling gratefully. “Thanks, B.”

 


	23. Chapter 23

Courtney was miserable. Every day for over two weeks, she’d woken up optimistic, telling herself that she was going to be honest with Bianca about how she felt, and then every night, she would find her stomach in knots, hating herself for being such a wuss. Why couldn’t she just TELL her?

If she wanted to find excuses, there were tons…she knew that Bianca had been with a lot of girls, and most of them very short-lived flings. She didn’t think that was how it would go with them, but on the other hand, what did she know? About anything?

She sat up, rubbing her eyes, and looked at the clock. Bianca’s car was supposed to be here in 20 minutes. She walked to the bathroom and brushed her teeth, glaring at her reflection, and then padded down the hall to the kitchen, where Bianca was sipping coffee, Dede in her arms.

“Hey, good morning tiger!” Bianca said brightly.

“Good morning,” Courtney replied.

Bianca set the dog down and gestured to a typewritten page on the side of the fridge. “I tried to remember everything - you’ve got the number for the super and an emergency plumbing contact. The dog walker is supposed to come twice a day and if she’s sick or something, Joslyn can cover for her. Also, in case you need–”

Bianca was cut off as Courtney wrapped her arms around her waist, hugging her tightly, cheek resting on her shoulder. She sighed a little and squeezed her eyes shut, wondering when she became this clingy, needy mess of a person. She distinctly remembered the day she left Brisbane to come to NYU, at age 17, skipping away from her family with an airy kiss tossed over her shoulder, excited for the adventures ahead.

“Hey,” Bianca rubbed her back, “I’m not going off to war, you know. I’ll be back in less than a month.”

Courtney pulled away. “I know. Sorry.” She wondered if it was the separation that was causing her anxiety, or all of the unspoken promises between them, bursting in the air like soap bubbles.

Bianca cleared her throat, looking away so that she didn’t have to stare into her sad, slightly unfocused eyes. “It’s alright. I’ll be back before you know it.”

Courtney nodded. Thoughts whirled through her head, making it hard to speak.

Bianca’s phone started buzzing on the counter and she answered. “Hello?…Yup, come on up. Door’s open…Thanks.” She hung up and placed her hands on Courtney’s shoulders, leaning in, a serious expression on her face. “Don’t let Adore drink all my wine.”

That finally caused Courtney to crack a smile, giggling, “I won’t. Promise.”

Bianca smiled, brushing a stray lock of hair out of her eyes. She leaned down to kiss her on the cheek.

Courtney groaned inwardly. This was not the epic goodbye she’d imagined. The idea of their last moments being punctuated by a friendly kiss on the cheek was utterly devastating. In a moment of courage mixed with panic, Courtney grabbed Bianca’s cheeks and redirected the kiss, crashing their lips together.

Surprised, Bianca’s eyes opened wide. It wasn’t easy to catch Bianca del Rio off guard, but Courtney had managed to do it. She let herself relax into the kiss, eyes fluttering closed, shoving all thoughts about why this was a bad idea right out of her head.

Her heart raced faster and faster as she pressed against Bianca’s body, plagued by endless worries - was she too forward? Did she smell? Was this going to make things even weirder between them? Was her tongue in the right place? Were her hands sweaty? She suddenly pulled away, more quickly than she’d intended. “I…I’m sorry. I don’t know–I’m sorry.”

“You don’t need to be sorry.” Bianca released her shoulders.

Courtney cringed, embarrassed and hating herself more than ever. The front door opened and Bianca headed towards the entrance, tossing a quick look over her shoulder as she went. “Hey Carson! Those two suitcases right there. I’ll get the laptop bag and my purse.”

“Sure thing, Ms. Del Rio.”

“Well…” Bianca turned around halfway to the door, giving a half-hearted wave. “I’ll talk to you soon, okay?”

“Yeah. Text me when you land. I mean, please.” Courtney leaned against the kitchen door frame.

“Of course.” With one final, small smile, Bianca turned and left, shutting the door softly behind her.

Courtney slid down the kitchen door frame, chest heaving, a sob escaping her throat. She held her head in her hands, finally releasing the tears and letting them spill down her cheeks.

The dogs wandered over and started licking her face. She pulled them into her lap and held them close, gulping for breath. After a few moments, they began to squirm and bark and she let them go, their paws skittering on the tile floor as they scrambled away towards their food bowls. She hugged her knees, breathing deeply, eyes fluttering closed.

_Suddenly the door flew open, so hard that it banged against the wall. She stood up as Bianca ran to her, eyes looking as feverish and agitated as Courtney felt inside. She grabbed her around the waist, pausing for a moment as Courtney looked up breathlessly, winding her arms around her neck._

_And then their lips met, and every insecurity Courtney had earlier dissolved, as she melted against Bianca’s body, heat racing through her, buzzing with euphoria. She parted her lips and Bianca’s tongue slid into her mouth, warm and velvety. This was it, the moment she’d been waiting for, wanting, needing more and more ever since the first time they touched. Courtney whimpered, grasping a handful of her thick hair, tasting her greedily._

_Bianca lifted her slightly and pressed her against the doorframe, Courtney’s legs wrapping around her waist, ankles locked together. She leaned her head back and Bianca’s plush lips found her neck, sucking on her tender skin. She gasped. “Ohhh, oh god…but…B?”_

_“Yes, my love?” Bianca murmured against her._

_“What…oh…what about your flight?”_

_Bianca looked up at her, sliding her hands, those smooth, beautiful hands, down her body, supporting her ass, pressing against her. “I cancelled it. I can fly tomorrow.”_

_Courtney let her eyes fall closed, as Bianca began to kiss her neck again, following her collarbone down. Her chest heaved and her legs tightened around her waist. Bianca’s arms were under her ass, and she carried her to the dining room table, practically throwing her down, hands wandering all over her skin. Courtney’s eyes rolled back into her head as she arched up against her, desperate to get even closer._

And then a deep buzzing sound interrupted her thoughts, as she felt Bianca’s touch disappear, fading quickly from her skin.

Courtney jerked her head up so fast that it banged against the frame of the door. She buried her face in her hands again as her fantasy dissipated into thin air. “Fuck,” she whispered, and then crawled across the floor to the living room, where her phone lay on the coffee table.

She sighed as she answered. “Hey, Adore.”

“So did my sister fuck you before she left?”

“No.”

“Well that sucks.”

“Tell me about it.”

“Want me to pick up some of your dumb vegan ice cream and come over? We can get drunk and watch trashy reality TV.”

“It’s 9 am.”

“Does that mean no?”

“No.”

Adore laughed. “I’ll see you in 30.”

***

Violet was sitting at a cafe, her sketch block in front of her, the page completely blank. She had been trying to come up with something, anything, she could make for Chad Michaels, but so far her efforts had been in vain. Nothing she tried had turned out good enough. She knew Chad, and she knew the woman well even though it was clear to her at the party that Chad had no idea who she was beyond the designer and tailor of the finale dress. Violet bit her lip as she picked up her pencil, drawing a few flowers along the line of the paper, but it didn’t seem right.

Betty had teased her earlier that week, telling her she should open up a flower shop since it seemed like it was all she could do, and Betty was right. Violet hadn’t shown much besides her flowers, but that was because it was her pride and her joy. Whenever she did the little petals, putting in the hours upon hours it took to perfect a garment like that, it didn’t feel like work, because it was something she loved doing. Violet sighed, taking another sip of her coffee before she put her pencil down, leaning back into her seat to watch the people on the street go by when the door to the cafe opened and a couple came in, a small pug between them, happily wagging it’s tail and looking at everything and everyone as it followed it’s mama and papa around and Violet couldn’t help but smile.

She knew she was being silly, knew her love for the small chubby dog breed was probably bigger than what was normal, but she couldn’t help it.

Violet had always known she wasn’t normal, the disapproval in her mother’s eyes telling her that every day when she was a child, the way the other kids in school would avoid her, calling her names, pulling her hair and taking her things all in an attempt to make her speak, all of them trying to taunt her into raising her voice.

To say that her childhood had been a nightmare would be an understatement. Violet knew she had to talk to someone about it someday, but that day wasn’t now, wasn’t going to happen anytime soon because she wasn’t ready, her voice still failing her sometimes.

As a child, she had thrown everything she had, every last piece of energy, into her dance, and it was in the studio, with her instructor, Dax Martin, that she had found peace and her first real friend which was her instructor’s small pug, Benjamin. Violet had started bringing treats for the dog, a carrot here, a piece of watermelon there, a small ball of rice, all of the treats looked over by Dax before Violet was allowed to carefully feed it to the small dog. Benjamin had been her companion, the one she went to when she was sad, when she was happy, the one she could whisper secrets to in the breaks at the academy when no one else wanted to talk to her, the pug licking her face and keeping her company when she hid in the locker rooms after class, hiding and desperately hoping that her stepdad had forgotten to pick her up so she wouldn’t have to go home.

Violet was taken back to reality by the sound of a small yip, the dog from earlier sitting on the ground, looking up at her, it’s eyes big as it was begging for attention. Without her notice, the couple had taken a seat next to her, and Violet couldn’t help herself, a shy smile on her face as she asked if she could please pet the dog, the couple agreeing instantly, her sketch block forgotten on the table for now.

***

Bianca reclined in her seat, shoes off, working on her third vodka cranberry. As much as she hated to admit it, she was slightly relieved to have this break from seeing Courtney every day. With her big eyes and her cheekbones and her perfect little ass. It was starting to get painful to be in the room together. And that kiss…what was that? She shook her head. She didn’t know if Courtney’s embarrassment and hesitation came from being unsure of herself, or unsure of how she felt about Bianca.

Adore wasn’t letting up, either. Kept asking her when she was gonna make a move. “I’ve seen you seduce girls who were were much less hard-up. She’s clawing down the curtains, you know. What the fuck are you waiting for?”

She didn’t know what she was waiting for, exactly. The truth was, she didn’t feel right using all the same moves that had worked for over twenty years. She knew Courtney wanted it. If she was honest, she knew that she could have had her months earlier, if she’d only pushed her…just a little bit. But something was stopping her. Something that made her insanely uncomfortable. Something she was desperate to get rid of.

_Feelings._

Bianca emptied her glass, shaking her head. She didn’t know for sure, but if there was any chance that this trip could get rid of these pesky feelings, she was gonna give it her best shot. She looked up at the flight attendant, a petite British woman with honey-blonde highlights, who caught her eye for just long enough so that she could see her opening. She supposed now was as good a time as any to try getting these damn feelings for Courtney out of her system.

***

Bianca stood in the airplane bathroom, buttoning her top, fixing her eye makeup, tucking her hair behind her ears. She sighed at her reflection. Why was she trying to hard to fight this?

Maybe the secret wasn’t trying to fuck her feelings away with every available warm body. Although she hadn’t entirely give up on that plan. But she did need to do things differently this time.

  
***  
  
Ivy hung up with Raja, relieved that her boss made it to the private jet on time and looking forward to 6 hours of peace to check things off her massive to do list. She was so excited to be meeting the team in Paris in about two weeks, she could hardly sit still. She’d traveled  little throughout her life, and had only been to Paris one time with her mother when she was 11. Excited was an understatement, if she was really honest. She was thrilled.

Roxy strolled past her desk slowly, for what Ivy realized was the tenth time in the last 30 minutes. Obviously the girl had something on her mind. Ivy finished the email she was typing and looked up. “Roxy? You alright? Do you need anything?”

“Oh, um…yeah. Sorry, I just had like, a quick question. It can wait if you’re busy.”

“Have a seat.” Ivy gestured to the sofa outside Raja’s office, turning her chair around to face the mini waiting area. “Do you want some tea? Water? An energy drink?”

“Oh thanks, or, no thanks, I’m good. Sorry.”

“What’s going on? You seem really tense…”

“Do you think…do you think I should ask Violet if I can be considered for Miss Fame’s next assistant? I’ve been looking at all the resumes coming in, and it seems like…I don’t know, I think I could do it. You know? Do you think I should try?” Roxy looked a little unsure of herself, for maybe the first time since Ivy had known her.

“Well…that depends.”

“On?”

“Look, I’m not going to sugarcoat this.” Ivy smiled, reaching out to take Roxy’s hands. “because that would be unfair to you. Being an assistant.. It’s… It’s hard. It’s really hard. You’ll have no life beyond the job, you will put in 14 hour days more often than it seems fair, your sanity will be tested every day… Basically your boss is going to expect you to be a superhero… But you already know that, right?”

“Yeah.”

“So the question is, will it be worth it? What do you want to do?”

“I…I’m not sure. But I love design, I really admire Miss Fame, and working here is awesome, but I’ve been sort of bored at reception. I mean that job is not any kind of challenge, so…I really think it would be good for me to push myself, you know?”

Ivy nodded. “Well, there’s nothing like diving head first into shark-infested waters, right?” She laughed at her own joke, releasing Roxy’s hand. The two girls had always had a good working relationship, Roxy’s professionalism and her fearlessness keeping the gate to Galactica effectively shut to anyone who wasn’t suppose to come into the castle.

“Thanks for that image.” Roxy shook her head, smiling in spite of herself.

Ivy giggled and said, “I mean, we’ll help you, all of us will. We like you, and honestly…. I don’t have the energy to deal with another Courtney situation. That girl didn’t dive in. She was like an injured baby seal who got pushed….”

“This metaphor is getting a little tedious, girl.”

“Sorry. My point is…everyone will want to see you succeed, and, you know… If you succeed at that job… After a few years, the fashion world will be yours for the taking.”

Roxy grinned. “Well, that sounds awesome.”

“Yeah, right?” She smiled and started to sing, “The name on everybody’s lips is gonna be–”

“Don’t fucking say it!”

“Roxy…” Ivy whispered, and then laughed again as Roxy put her head in her hands.

***

Bianca walked into the Vivienne Westwood show, surveying the room from behind huge sunglasses. Fame was already seated in the front row, chatting in low voices with Heidi Klum and giving the occasional nod to the paparazzi.  

Bianca found a woman in black, holding a clipboard, and smiled charmingly at her. “Hello…Jennie, how are you?”

“I’m fine, Miss Del Rio, may I show you to your seat?” The woman was friendly, but clearly in a hurry.

“Actually,” Bianca removed her shades and flashed her legendary dimples, “I was going to ask for a tiny favor. Would it be possible for me to sit next to my wonderful friend, Miss Fame of Galactica?”

Jennie looked down at her clipboard nervously. “Umm…”

“Ahh, look! All you need to do is switch my seat with Anna’s. She’ll never know,” Bianca smiled again. “What do you think? It would mean so much to us.”

“Well…alright but let’s move quickly.” Antonia led her to the seat beside Fame, pulling off the “Reserved Anna Wintour” sign and gesturing for Bianca to sit down.

“Thank you so much, Jennie!” Bianca gave her quick air kisses and sat down. “Well hello there!”

Fame turned to her with an icy glare. “What are you doing here?”

“Cameras, blondie,” Bianca reminded her, smiling. “And I pulled some strings. I missed your beautiful face.”

Fame smiled back at her through gritted teeth. “Oh my darling, I just love how unpredictable you are. How kind of you to care about your seat over the needs of everyone else here, including the people who have worked very hard on making this show the best it can be. But you’ve always had a thing for the company of blondes, haven’t you?”

“Indeed.” Bianca winked, then leaned over her slightly, causing Fame to bristle. “Hiya Heidi.”

“B…” A hint of color crept into Heidi’s cheeks and Fame rolled her eyes.

“How’s casting? Last season was a fever dream, hopefully we do better this time?”

“Actually, I’ve seen some pretty interesting portfolios so far. We’ll see.”

“I’m shivering with anticipation.”

“Would you like to switch seats, Bianca?” Fame asked testily.

“Oh, I’m sorry, blondie, was I ignoring you? How are you finding London so far?”

“It’s been lovely, thanks.”

“I really enjoyed your show last week, by the way. Inspired!”

“Thank you. We did our best, given the circumstances.”

Bianca rolled her eyes slightly. “Yes, I’m sure having your old assistant back was just a nightmare. We all know how much you hated her.”

“That’s not what I’m–ugh! Excuse me, Heidi, I need to step out for a moment.” She flashed a gracious smile to the cameras and then stood and walked out slowly.

Heidi watched her go with a puzzled expression. “What was that about? Are you two…?”

“GOD, no!” Bianca laughed. “It was nothing. She doesn’t like when I tease her, so it’s impossible not to tease her. You know.”

“You sound like my kids.”

Bianca threw back her head and cackled. “Yes, well. I’ve always been very much in touch with the youth. Although I can make an occasional exception. If you recall.”

Heidi blushed again. “Stop that right now.”

***

Later, at the reception, Bianca was slightly startled by a man’s hand gripping her upper arm and pulling her into a corner. She whirled around, ready to punch the hand’s owner in the face, but stopped when she saw Patrick, a stern expression on his face.

“Patrick! Hey there! I haven’t seen you for ages.” Bianca leaned in to kiss his cheek, but he stopped her.

“Don’t, B.”

“Oh, he’s serious today. Sorry, Mr. Crankypants.”

“This is all a joke to you, isn’t it?”

Bianca sighed. “Patrick, don’t tell me that you’re siding with them, for real. I mean I know you have to technically because you’re the loyal husband but…come on. They’re being ridiculous.”

“Do you have any idea of the mess your girl left behind? It was a colossal shit show, B.”

“Well, all the more reason why it’s better that she’s gone! I seriously don’t know why they’re pinning it on me, if she was really screwing up this badly. They should thank me for taking her off their hands. She wasn’t meant for administrative work, dude.”

Patrick closed his eyes. “I know that. And they aren’t mad because she QUIT, or even that you’re…whatever you are, with her. Fame is genuinely hurt, because you obviously knew how much she was struggling and never gave her or Raja a heads-up.”

“Honestly, Patrick, I had no idea the extent of it until the end. I never had any information that would have been useful to them. Before the last day…it was just, she’s stressed at work. Well, okay, it’s a stressful job! Do they think I plotted with her or something? That’s absurd. And if she’d fucking TALK to me instead of being a petulant baby about it, she could ask me all these questions and realize that I didn’t do anything against her best interest.”

“That may well be true, but she sees this as a betrayal. Don’t roll your eyes, she does…You have to give her some time. Every time to try to talk to her, especially cornering her in front of cameras…she has a freakin’ heart attack. You know how she is, how wound up she gets. So…please. I’m asking you as a friend. Give her a little time.”

Bianca saluted. “Yes, sir.”

“B…”

“I’m serious! I’ll leave her alone. For now.”

“Thank you.” Patrick clinked their glasses together.

“…But not forever because this is STUPID.”

“Whatever. I’m officially staying out of it now. See you in New York.”

“Ta ta, mate.”

***

“Shane?”

“Huh?”

“Do you consider me your soulmate?”

Shane looked up from his cello he was trying to tune for the last half an hour. Betty was sitting cross-legged on the couch, her iPad in her hands.

“Why the stupid question? Of course I do.”

“Well, according to this article, we’re not soulmates in the slightest.”

“What? Show me that.”

Betty handed him the iPad, browser opened on the article she just stumbled upon.

“‘If your partner is your soulmate, chances are he or she has been present in your lives past. Soulmates often choose to come back together during the same lifetime and try to scope each other out in the big world.’ What kind of psychic bullshit is that, Elizabeth? I don’t even understand -’’

“Nah, skip that, just read on.”

“‘To look at this person is like looking at an image of you.’ Now, come on, Betty, why would I want want to be with myself? Who wrote that? This is crap, I’m not reading that anymore, and you shouldn’t either.”

“But, Shane! It says that soulmates are supposed to recognize each other from their past lives at first glance! That definitely didn’t happen to us. It took, like, a hundred and thirty five glances.”

Shane locked the iPad, putting it down, lying down so that his head was on Betty’s lap, looking up at her. “Weren’t you the one who laughed at me when I read the newspaper horoscopes? You always said these things were stupid.”

Betty had no idea why the article got to her so much. Shane was right, she never held astrology and metaphysics in high esteem, deeming it straight up bullshit most of the time.

“I know, but I still wish we were soulmates. Even if it’s stupid.” She would never admit that to anyone else, but that was Shane, so she felt safe saying that.

“We are though! I don’t care about the dumb article. Do you think I would be hanging out around you for all these years if I didn’t consider you my soulmate? I love you, and we both make each other better people. So the writer of this crap can suck my dick.”

“You’d like that, huh”, Betty teased, feeling slightly better when Shane’s eyes crinkled as he smiled, getting up to give her a kiss and come back to his cello.

  
***  
  
Raven was still on cloud nine since the first Galactica show of the season a few days ago. She got to see her Raja’s radiant smile for the first time in weeks and her favorite blonde darling Fame didn’t look as stressed. But what had her so happy this afternoon was lunch; and not just any lunch, but lunch with her brother. She strolled up to the little cafe in Tottenham with a radiant smile.  
  
“Moy dorogoy brat!” (My darling brother!) Greeted Raven in Russian, as she saw her brother stand up from the table he reserved for them. Her brother David was the oldest of their 6 siblings with him being the oldest boy and she being the baby and only girl. “It’s so good to see you.” She said as he wrapped her in a big hug.  
  
“Ah Snezhana, it’s been too long!” He replied in accented English. “Have you shrunk?” David asked playfully as she tickled him under his arms. “Ah, stop!”  
  
Raven kept tickling him a bit more before she stopped, taking a step back to look at him. Her brother was a natural blonde with blue eyes and was much paler than her. But a trait they both shared were their plumped up lips. “You shouldn’t have said I shrunk.” She replied as she sat down at the table. “But how has life been treating you? Are you still working in London or are you back home?”  
  
David called for a waiter to come bring over tea before he sat down and answered his sister. “Well you know, I go where my job takes me,” he started as he took off his jacket. “They want to keep me in Milan for a little bit longer. But I have a contract meeting in Australia at a university in Sydney in a few months so you never know.” He said with a smile.  
  
“I’m so happy you’re able to use your brain and not rely on your subpar looks to get by in life.” Raven said with a grin at her brother’s explosive laughter at her comment. “But I’m so proud of you, who would have thought, the former gang member would be an award winning marine biologist.” She said with a smile.   
  
Though they were almost 12 years apart, she still remembered all the trouble he put their parents through as a teen. Thankfully he was able to turn his life around and keep their father from killing him in he process. She remembered one incident when her brother drove the family car into the living room after coming home late from a party when she was 5. She never forgot how angry her father was at him, because he not only snuck out the house after his court appointment, but he also totaled the family car and the front wall of the house. She still couldn’t figure out how he was able to get the car to launch itself into the living room, let alone how he walked away with only a bloody nose.  
  
“Yea, you know, it’s not nice to have people sleep with the fishes so I decided to study them instead.” David said with a smile. “It’s very calming and the sea holds a lot of mysteries.”  
  
“You sound so intellectual.” Raven commented as she moved her menu out the way for their waiter to set down their tea service. “Thank you,” she said to their waiter.  
  
“Do you want to order?” David asked as he watched the waiter openly stare at his sister not believing who it was sitting in his section.   
  
“You don’t want to order?”  
  
“No, because I know that you will have some shit to say if I order so if I let you order then you can’t complain about me having ‘no taste’ and wanting you to get fat during Fashion Week.” David mocked in Russian to Raven.  
  
“Bez raznitsy.” (Whatever.) Raven muttered as she rolled her eyes at David before she looked up at their waiter to address him. “I want a bottle of vodka, caviar on a blini with cream, a piece of your honey poppyseed roll and some lemon.” She said with a charming smile.   
  
“I’m sorry ma'am, but we don’t have any caviar.” The waiter said, nervous he offended Raven.  
  
“Well, then I would suggest that you send someone out to fetch some,” Raven said simply. “I would like to have a Russian breakfast with my brother and I would like caviar to go with my blini.” She said as she offered up both of the menus the siblings had back to the waiter.  
  
“I don’t know if we can do that,” the young man started, as he began to break out into a sweat.  
  
“I know you can make it happen for me,” Raven cooed to the young man, making him sweat even more. “You just go to your manager and tell him or her that Raven Petruschin would like to request caviar to go with her breakfast.” She said as she folded up a £50 banknote and tucked it into a small pocket of his short black apron. “I know you can do it.” She said with a smile as she batted her lashes at the young man making him swoon.  
  
“Ok, I’ll try my best.” He said dreamily. “By the way my name is Matthew and I’ll be your waiter this afternoon.  
  
Raven smiled, “It’s lovely to meet you, Matthew, but I do want to eat within the hour so please hurry.”   
  
“Right away Ms. Petruschin.” He said absentmindedly as he walked away to do her bidding.  
  
“He’s so cute.” Raven commented as she watched Matthew walk away as if he were in a daze.  
  
“Or desperate.” David mumbled into his tea cup. He knew his sister was never above using her looks and charm to get what she wanted, few were immune to her. “I fear if you would have touched him, he would have passed out or turned into stone.”  
  
“You sound like a hater whose mad that a beautiful woman showed a little boy some attention.” Raven said with a wicked grin as she watched the young man make his way to the back of the restaurant.   
  
“You’re such a tease.” David sighed.  
  
Raven crossed and uncrossed her legs; she noticed that there were some people starting at them since they sat down. “As long as it pays the bills and gets me what I want, I will wear that title with pride.” She replied easily as she watched some people snap a few quick photos of them, probably speculating that her brother was actually her new beau. “Besides, me being a tease keeps you boys on your toes.”  
  
“Yeah, because you, Snezhana, are a cheeky little wench who loves to cause havoc on the majority of the male population.” David said with a deadpan expression causing Raven to laugh.  
  
“Awww, you’re so cute when you’re protective.” Raven said in between laughter. “But why only a majority and not all men?”  
  
“Because they’re either dead, gay/ace or related to you.” David replied with his same flat tone and expression causing his sister to laugh even harder. “The struggle is so real.”

  
***  
  
Courtney sat at a small table at the cafe where she was meeting Lucian for lunch. She’d gotten there 25 minutes early, checked her makeup about 30 times and was drinking tea, now lukewarm, through a straw so that she didn’t mess up her lipstick. On the table in front of her were 3 notebooks full of lyrics and ideas. She drummed her fingers on them impatiently, nerves eating away at her. She had a strong desire to bite her nails, but didn’t want to destroy her fresh gel manicure. She’d felt a little weird when Bianca left her a credit card, but she had to admit that it came in handy. She felt great in her cute new outfit, and just wished he’d get there already.  
  
COURTNEY: He’s 4 minutes late.  
  
BIANCA: He’ll be there. Take a deep breath. You got this.  
  
“Courtney! There you are!” Lucian smiled dazzlingly at her. She jumped up to greet him. “Have you been waiting long?”  
  
“Oh, no, I just got here…a few minutes ago.”  
  
“Great, great…” He tossed his coat over the chair and sat down.   
  
They made small talk for a few minutes…where they grew up, what artists they admire, where they went to school, people they knew in common. They ordered some food, and Courtney’s nerves started to settle. Lucian was easy to talk to, and seemed genuinely interested in what she had to say, which was new and lovely. As the waiter set their orders down, Lucian switched topics.  
  
“So…you ready to talk shop?”  
  
Courtney nodded, smoothing down her skirt.  
  
“Well, I wanted to do this in person, because I think you’ve got something very special.”  
  
Courtney breathed out a sigh of relief. “Really?”  
  
“Yes,” Lucian laughed. “So most of the stuff Bianca sent me was acoustic, sort of folk-style. Do you see yourself in that space entirely, or would you be interested in more pop, or dance music? Because I mean it’s nice, but I assume you also want to make money.”  
  
“I would love to do pop music! I just…I mean I just have my guitar or a piano most of the time, so it’s hard to make that dance-y. You know, when there’s no bass.” Courtney hoped she didn’t sound like an idiot.  
  
“Okay, cool, well, I’m gonna send you some tracks I have, and hopefully some of them speak to you. We’ll see if we can come up with something together, and if it doesn’t feel right, there’s plenty of other producers you could work with. Do you have any dance training?”  
  
“Yeah, I danced my whole life, pretty much, and I’ve taken classes at–”  
  
“Great! I’m gonna see if we can get you into BDC’s professional semester. It’s too late for the spring program but I’ll see if you can have an audition anyway and they can recommend some classes to take in the meantime - then hopefully you’ll be ready for the Fall program. It’s a really awesome studio, the best in town for commercial dance, in my opinion.”  
  
“Okay, thanks!” Courtney started to get even more excited, mind spinning.   
  
“I’m also gonna call a few voice teachers I know, because I really think you should have some industry-level vocal training.”  
  
Courtney winced. Did he not think her voice was good? Was he like everyone else, thinking all she had to offer was a pretty face?  
  
“Don’t look so devastated! You’ve got a lot of natural talent, but your voice is like any other instrument. You’ve gotta learn technique to have a lasting career. I’m not trying to make you a video ho, there’s enough of those already. You’ve got the chops to be a real vocalist but now you need training to back it up.”  
  
Courtney beamed at him, bursting at the seams with happiness. “You really think so?”  
  
“Has no one ever told you this before?”  
  
“I just…I mean, not really.”  
  
“I have a hard time believing that. What about Bianca? She thinks you walk on water.”  
  
Courtney felt her cheeks start to heat up. “I mean, yeah, she has been amazing, but I meant like…music industry people.”  
  
Lucian suppressed a chuckle at the way she suddenly blushed and grew fidgety. “Well, her instincts are spot on, as usual.” He leaned in conspiratorially. “What’s going on there, anyway?”  
  
Courtney blushed more deeply. “Um…I don’t…I don’t know.” She bit her lip.  
  
“Well, you should know, she raved about you in a way I’ve never seen from her before. You’re obviously very important to her.”  
  
Courtney’s pulse quickened and she swallowed hard. “Yeah, I mean, I think she’s…she’s…” Courtney trailed off. She found herself unable to put her complicated feelings into words. She’s perfection. She’s intoxicatingly sexy. She’s smart and perceptive and kind and beautiful and generous. She’s a miracle.   
  
“Something else?” Lucian offered, grinning.

“Yeah,” Courtney breathed.  
  
***  
  
COURTNEY: B!! OH MY GOD!  
  
BIANCA: Lunch went well?  
  
COURTNEY: He gave me a ton of advice, and IDEAS, and I’m so excited!!!!  
  
BIANCA: I’m proud of you, hon.  
  
COURTNEY: You’re way too nice to me. I don’t deserve you.  
  
BIANCA: You deserve the world.  
  
COURTNEY: Great, now I’m crying in CVS. Thank you.

BIANCA: Anytime ;)

***

“Okay, so, should we get Winnie the Pooh, Stitch, Mickey Mouse or something totally different?”  
  
“Stitch, are you insane? Stitch is the coolest.”  
  
“Fine, fine, I’m sorry.”  
  
“Uh, should we get Ava baby an Alice costume too? We could totally do Alice in Wonderland costumes for Halloween.”  
  
“What about waiting until he’s born before we decide?”  
  
“Good point…”  
  
Trixie was lying in bed, cuddled up in Katya’s arm, his hand gliding over Katya’s stomach under her pyjamas while Katya scrolled through the Disney stores baby section, the two of them shopping for clothes for their baby boy.  
  
“Are you going to tell the principal tomorrow?”  
  
“That I’m pregnant?”  
  
“Maybe…” Katya looked down at Trixie and kissed his hair. “He’s going to be so angry though…”  
  
Trixie snorted, annoyance radiating off of him. “Your boss is such a jerk. You work so hard for that school and he’s just busting your balls.”  
  
“Hey, hey.” Katya pulled Trixie’s hair a little, making him look at her. “Don’t worry, boo bear.”  
  
“I always worry about you.”  
  
“I know, and I love you so for it so much, but you really don’t have to.”

***  
  
Per Bianca’s promise to Patrick, she continued to steer clear of Fame at the Dolce and Gabbana reception. But when she caught Sutan’s eye and instead of a cold shoulder, he gave her a small wave, she decided to try her luck, walking over, twirling her champagne flute.  
  
“So…you mad at me, too?” she asked, not wanting to beat around the bush.  
  
“Should I be?” Sutan smiled, and Bianca was just about to go off when he laughed, making her relax.. “The official version is that I’m furious with you as well, so if Raja or Fame asks I’ve never been here.” Bianca rolled her eyes, the two of them laughing again. It was great for Bianca to have the chance to hang out with a friend, someone who knew her for who she was. “You haven’t been very popular.”  
  
“Ain’t that the understatement of the year.”  
  
“Life happens, and I think we’ve all been through enough shit that this too shall pass.” Sutan took a sip of his drink. “Though I’d hate to go to the farm without you too, so let’s hope this blows over before that.”  
  
“So you’re not going to make me apologize?”  
  
“You’re not going to mean it anyway. I talked to Patrick before he flew to Japan and from what you told him, I’m not touching this wasp nest at all.“  
  
“So is anything exciting happening?”  
  
“My girlfriend is flying out for Paris, I haven’t really seen her in month-”  
  
Bianca snickered.  
  
“What?”  
  
“I’ve just never heard you use the word ‘girlfriend’ before. It’s a little…unsettling.”  
  
“I’ve never had a girlfriend before, so that’s probably why.”  
  
“What about that girl Jennifer in college?” Bianca was smart enough not to touch upon Jinkx, and their complicated mess of a relationship.  
  
“Nah, I only went out with her for four months.”  
  
“So you really care for her?”  
  
“I do. I actually think I love her love her.”  
  
Bianca blinked.  
  
“B?”  
  
“Sorry, my brain just short-circuited. You LOVE her?” Her eyes were wide and dancing with glee. She fought the urge to repeat ‘HER’ because she wasn’t about to piss off her one ally. But seriously…her?  
  
“I am capable of love.”  
  
“I believe that in theory…but…wow.” Bianca shook her head. “While we’re being disgustingly sincere, thanks for not hating me.”  
  
“I mean…this is what we do. We’ve all been there, we’ve all paid our dues. She’ll be okay.”  
  
“Well…Thank you. Exactly.”  
  
“And you’re not the one who demoted her, so…yeah. I dunno. They are fucking PISSED, though,” he finished with a laugh.  
  
“I know.” Bianca sighed.  
  
“So was it worth it?”  
  
“Was what worth it?”  
  
“Her. Was she worth losing your friends? Cause that better be some sweet pussy, my friend.”  
  
Bianca winced. “Wanna hear something embarrassing?”  
  
“Always.”  
  
“I haven’t even fucked her.”  
  
“What?!”  
  
“Dude…we kissed, like once. Twice, I guess…I don’t know. I haven’t laid a hand on her.”  
  
Sutan leaned in, smirking. “Yet.”  
  
Bianca laughed and clinked glasses with him. “Salute to that.”

***

’‘Hey, babe!” Laila waved at Pearl from the other side of their Skype connection, holding up Turbo and waving his little paw as well, causing Pearl to roll her eyes. ’'Your room looks different, did you go somewhere else already?”

’'Nah, I’m just stealing Fame’s lounge. Ivy is sleeping in my room, she got super drunk yesterday.”

’'Oh, I see… You guys having fun?”

Pearl didn’t look like she was having fun, her mood completely different then last night when she called Laila late, sort of drunk and rolling in bed in just her underwear, the conversation quickly turning into Skype sex that ended up being much better than Laila had expected. Today, Pearl looked tired and worn out, and even though she still was nothing but breathtaking, Laila could sense the change.

’'Fun is overrated. I’m actually calling because I want you to come with me to Paris.”

’'Yeah, yeah. I wish.” Laila joked.

’'No, dude, I’m serious. We’re gonna be in Paris soon, and I miss you so fucking bad, Laila, I want you here! Will you come, please?” Pearl wasn’t smiling, the opposite, she seemd to be waiting on the edge of her seat, twisting her hands together.  
  
“Pearl, you can’t be for real, I can’t accept that.” Laila was stunned. Turbo pawed on her ankle for attention, but she ignored the kitten, frowning at Pearl through the screen.

“Why the hell not? You’ve never been, right? Come on, it’s gonna be fun. Fame just told me Patrick is coming which means I’ll have an entire room to myself! You have to come, Laila, I’m going to die of boredom if you’re not going to be there! Please please please please.”

Paris was the legendary city of fashion, art and free love, and of course Laila never went there: how could she afford it? She worked her ass of to pay the bills, the luxury of travelling was unknown to her. But this time, Pearl was most likely going to pay for everything. Also, she fucking missed the blonde more than she was willing to admit.

“How much will it be?”

“Ummm… I don’t know, but who cares? It’s all going on Galactica’s travel expense account anyway, you won’t have to pay for everything! Please come? I really really need to see you.”

Laila did a very quick, mental WWTD: What Would Thorgy Do? Would she tell Pearl that she was terrified of flying, since she’s never been on a plane before? Would she make a fuss about being sponsored by Pearl’s company? Or would she just smile and take, who knows if not the only one, opportunity to go to Europe with her high society girlfriend?

“Okay! I’ll come. Talk to me about the logistics.”

“Hurray! Logistics rule number one: there’s a huge jacuzzi in my bathroom, and we’re having sex in it as soon as you get here.”

  
***  
  
Fame opened the door to her hotel room, dropping her keys and her bag off at the entrance. The day had been long, way too long. They were filling in well enough, everyone working together to cover as much of Milano as they could. Pearl was a lost cause though, the blonde only thinking about her new girlfriend. What was her name again? Lola? No. Lily? Ah. Layli, of course.

Fame picked up the stack of documents and mail the hotel staff had left on the table, quickly flipping through it when she heard the sound of the shower. Fame crinkled her brow, she hadn’t given the key to anyone, unless…. Unless. Fame dropped the papers and made her way to the bathroom, throwing the door open. The room was filled with steam, but she could still see him, her Patrick, her man.

“Close the door, you’re letting in all the cold air.”

Fame laughed, relief washing over her. Patrick had had to fly back to America, so she had traveled to Italy on her own, and the ride had been horrible, Raja holding her hand the entire way while she shook like a puppy, scared and jumpy, the fact that they were flying in a private jet not making any of Fames anxieties better as she had felt like crying.

“You’re here, you’re actually here.”

“I rescheduled the rest of the meetings with Latham & Watkins, so I’m staying for the week of Paris. I already texted Pearl and told her you’re switching rooms.”

“Really? You’re staying? That’s amazing”

Patrick turned off the water and stepped out, grabbing a towel and Fame couldn’t help but look him up and down, a smile on her lips. Her husband was so handsome, the flecks of grey in his hair, his toned arms, his strong legs, the sparkle in his eyes. Fame sighed happily, desire curling in her belly as she looked at her man, her husband through more than 10 years of ups and downs.

“Of course.” Patrick wrapped one of the bathrobes around himself, and Fame closed the space between them, her arms wrapping around his neck, their lips meeting in a sweet kiss.

“I love you, you’re the best, most amazing man in the entire world, and I’m so happy you’re mine.”

“I’m pretty sure you’re mine.”

“Let’s make a compromise.”

Fame smiled, Patrick’s arms around her waist making her feel small, girly and giggly. “And what would that be, mister lawyer?”

“How about we belong to each other?”

“Deal.”

***

Violet was tapping her pencil against her desk again and again in an almost empty design department. She had found some fabric samples in the warehouse that she could backorder to be able to make a dress for Chad.

Her desk was covered in sketches, fabric samples, colors, pearls, feathers, thread and a bunch of half finished projects along with several pictures, all of it trying to come together to be something she felt like she could present to an actual client of Galactica.

Violet took her headphones off, the music that normally made her focused, that had kept her company through so many long nights and days of work only agitating her. To distract herself, she checked her phone to see if Sutan had texted, emailed or called her, but there was nothing, which made Violet bite her lip, annoyance still radiating off of her.

She knew he was busy, but she missed him, their schedules having matched horribly for the last month. She missed spending time with Sutan, missed sleeping in with him on Sundays, missed watching him struggle at the gym whenever they went together. She missed eating brunch with him at the cafe around the corner and she even missed the stupid Batman cartoon he insisted that she should see every single episode of before he could truly accept her as his girlfriend. Violet rolled her eyes, a small smile on her face as she sent a text to Sutan, telling him that she hoped he would have time to call, and that she loved him. Violet leaned back in her chair, a sigh leaving her as she watched her desk, her bad mood returning in full force.

“Who died? Because I don’t know if I should cry or celebrate.” Betty’s voice shook Violet out of her lethargic state.

“Shut up…” She hoped Betty wasn’t looking for a fight or for witty banter, because Violet was not up for it at all.

“Let’s try this the other way then: what crawled up your ass and died?”

“Betty, I’m serious. I’m not up for it.” Violet looked at Betty, a small smile on her face. “I feel like I’m losing my mind here. Nothing looks good, I’ve tried for days, and all I can make is this… This… crap.”

“Doesn’t look like crap to me.” Betty looked around Violet’s desk, taking in the general mess.

“That’s not good enough for me. Do you have any idea how big this is, Bets? It’s Chad Michaels. Chad, freaking, Michaels. I mean… Urgh…”

“I know. And I have an idea that will save your skinny ass today. Grab your coat, we’re leaving.”

“Oh no, no way, look, I have to finish this dress. I’m going to Paris and it has to be done before that if I want to order fabric for it. Just… I think I almost got it, but there’s still something off and I haven’t… I just have to -”

“It’s non-negotiable, Violet. Pack up the sketches and meet me by the door in two.”

Violet sighed heavily, looking at the clock. It was almost 6 PM and she really wanted to get out and clear her head; besides, she was curious (and a little bit afraid) as to what Betty had in mind.

Violet checked her phone again, but there were no new messages, so she sent a quick text to Katya to let her know that she won’t be coming home. “Fine…” She grabbed her stuff, putting on her winter coat. “You win.”

Betty smiled like a shark about to devour a delicious meal. Downstairs, she hailed a cab right away and gave the cabbie an address that didn’t ring a bell with Violet.

“Where are we going?”

“It’s a surprise.”

They didn’t speak much during the ride, Betty busy scrolling through her phone and typing out messages, Violet looking out the window at the familiar streets, trying to figure out where they were going, until they crossed the Brooklyn Bridge, the surroundings becoming foreign.

“Are we going to TnT?”

“No, silly.” Betty looked up with a smile.

“But this is Brooklyn, right? Where are you bringing me?“

“Home, obviously. I have this bottle of wine that you need to help me with.”

“So your big plan is to get me drunk?”

“Yup.”

Violet giggled and leaned back in the car seat. “You’re a piece of work, Elizabeth Ruhren… But thank you…” Violet reached out to take Betty’s hand, the other woman squeezing back. It didn’t take long until the cab stopped in front of a building, nothing out of the ordinary, they left the cab and Betty was searching her purse for keys.

“Oh, here they are. Come on in and up, third floor.”

They climbed the stairs and when Betty opened the door, Violet felt the warm air like a slap in the face, the smell of brownies assaulting her senses as they walked into Betty and Shane’s apartment. Violet quickly and quietly got out of her coat and shoes, putting it aside. She looked around, realizing why it was so warm in there. The entire apartment was /covered/ in plants.

Shane was in the kitchen, singing along to the radio as he was cooking something in a giant pot.

Violet stood on the threshold watching Betty and Shane say hi to each other, Shane’s hands lingering on Betty’s arms as he smiled, his face lighting up.

“Hey babe, I invited Violet.”

“Oh! What a lovely surprise! Hey, girl.” Shane gave her a tight hug, patting her back, personal space forgotten. “You ladies enjoy yourselves and I’ll let you know when the dinner’s ready, alright?”

Betty kissed her boyfriend briefly in passing, grabbing a bottle of wine, two glasses and a corkscrew, gesturing for Violet to enter the living room, joined with the kitchen.

Violet walked in and looked around. The walls were a myriad of different colours, the furniture mismatched and an explosion of personalities clashing as she could see that it was obviously things that Betty and Shane had forced to work together. The shelves were covered in knick-knacks, microphones, feathers, bar coasters, snow globes, pens and pencils and papers, half-done sketches and what Violet recognised as notes and lyrics to songs. Betty swiped some stuff off the coffee table before putting down the wine and glasses.

One of countless frames hanging on the walls caught Violet’s attention. “Is this from the New York School of design?” She pointed at a certificate and what obviously was a graduation photo of younger Betty with a crazy haircut. “I love your hair.” Violet smiled, a teasing glint in her eyes.

“Like you looked good in college.”

“I had this really short cut my first year, I looked like a German schoolboy, it was really bad.” Violet smiled when Betty rolled her eyes.

The entire apartment was cozy beyond belief. Pillows, blankets and soft materials covered every surface. Violet couldn’t help but be reminded of Sutan’s mom’s place; Betty and Shane’s apartment really had that same vibe of a true home.

“Have you ever met Katya?”

“Trixie’s wife?” Betty sat down on the couch, moving a few pillows out of the way first, then she started opening the wine and pouring them glasses. “I’ve seen her a few times, but we’ve never hung out.”

“Mmh… She’s his fiancée, actually. She’s really nice, I think you guys would get along great… You should totally meet her, please remind me to introduce you if I get the chance.”

“Sure. Will you finally sit down?”

“Oh, of course. Sorry….” Violet sat on the couch next to Betty, taking in everything. “This is the coziest place I’ve ever been to…” said Violet, her voice soft, her hand on Betty’s arm, gently petting her. “You guys have an amazing apartment…”

“You think so? Thank you.” Betty smiled, trying not to reveal how nice she felt about the compliment. “Now, what do you want to do? I can crash you in some boardgames or we could just watch tv.”

“Actually… Can we play a game? I haven’t played in years… What do you have?”

“Trivial Pursuit!”, sounded an excited voice from the kitchen, interrupting the girls. “Can we play Trivial? Please please please?!”

“Shut up and stay in the kitchen, Shane!”, Betty yelled back, but she was smiling.

“I love you too! And I’ve got dinner, so prepare yourselves for awesomeness!” Shane brought in a huge tray full of deliciously smelling food. “Potato stew, whole grain bread and my world famous basil spread! Now dig in, girls, I made brownies with berry swirls for dessert, so I hope you’re hungry.”

“Wow, Shane… How did you find time to make all of this? It looks amazing.”

“I like cooking, it stops me from thinking.” He answered simply, sitting down on the floor to lean against Betty’s legs, quickly serving everyone. “And it’s basically math, just…different, you know what I mean?”

Violet took a bite, covering her mouth as she chewed. “Mmh, this is delicious!” Violet looked at Shane, surprise in her eyes. “This is really really great, you should totally be a chef.”

“Oh, stop it. But it’s my pleasure!”

Soon, Trivial Pursuit was out on the table, Shane leading with several pieces already.

“Okay, Violet. This one is super easy. What temperature does the water boil in?”

“Uhm…” Violet had painfully realized that a Trivial Pursuit game was not her brightest moment, the game a lot harder than she had expected. All the scientific question had left her completely stumped. The same happened with history, geography and, as it turned out, popular culture: she even failed to answer who wrote “What a Wonderful World”, causing Betty to roll on the floor in a fit of laughter, unable to believe that Violet had actually said something like that.

“What temperature does water boil in? Well… when the kettle feels like it?” Violet felt a blush creeping up her cheeks, the wine in her blood thankfully stopping her from becoming too embarrassed. At least she got the point when the questions asked about Chanel Nr. 5.

“Well, that’s…interesting, but wrong.” Shane tried to hold the laughter in, having to wipe tears from behind his glasses.

Meanwhile, Betty had no inhibitions, grabbing onto Violet’s arm and almost screaming, “Are you fucking kidding me?! Shane’s 6-year-old nephew knows that!”

“Well, I - “ Violet tried to defend herself, but then she heard the sound of her phone. “Oh, shit, that’s Sutan’s ringtone, I’ll be back, okay, just-”

“Go Violet, we can wait!”

“I’ll plate the brownies.”

With a smile of relief and gratitude, Violet disappeared into the hallway to finally exchange a few words with her boyfriend, his voice making her entire body relax completely.

***

“Mum! Mum, come in here!” Max smiled brightly. He was sitting in his parent’s living room at the window, his camera out as he was watching the backyard and the birdfeeder he and his dad had build in the workshed earlier that week. Unlike almost everyone else at Galactica, Max loved the months of February and September, the trips to Europe giving him time to visit his parents and spend time with them just being Max.

“Mum! You’re missing it! It’s a Turdus merula!”

“What are you talking about, sweetie?” Max’s mom walked into the living room with a tray of tea and biscuits.

Max couldn’t help but roll his eyes. He loved his mom, but a bird expert she was not. “It’s a blackbird, mum.”

“Well, then why didn’t you just say so?”

Max smiled, sitting down on the couch beside his mom.

“I’m sorry.”

***

“Are you seeing what I’m seeing?” Betty grabbed a hold of Shane’s arm before he had a chance to stand up as soon as the door closed behind Violet. This afternoon had turned into a ride that was wilder than Betty could’ve imagined.

“Like what? I mean, obviously Violet seemed a little nervous when she first got here, but after the wine it has helped a lot, right? Clearly she was waiting for Sutan to call all this time, but what can you do when it’s true love- “

“No, no, not that. Her answers to the game questions! Are we in the same room? Come on, she doesn’t even know when the water boils? And then she can recite the date AND inventor of Chanel’s signature perfume? How is that even possible? /Who/ is she, Shane?” Betty spoke in a lowered voice. “Uh, uh, do you think she’s a robot? I mean, I’ve been thinking about it for a while and this is bulletproof, she has to be a robot and they forgot to install her middle school disk before they sent her out into the world.”

“Come on, kitty, not everybody has to remember everything from middle school science classes like I do.”

“No, but she’s… I mean, she’s like a tiny child lost in the fog! It’s so funny, and so adorable.”

Shane laughed, slapping Betty’s knee. “Did you actually just say that? I can’t believe…”

He couldn’t finish, Violet walking back into the room, a smile on her face as the conversation with Sutan visibly calmed her down even more. “You guys ready to go back to the game?”

“If you’re gonna keep on fucking up, then of course we are”, winked Betty, Shane quickly walking to the kitchen to bring over the brownies for dessert.

“Oh God, shut up, like you’re so great.”

“At least I know who Frank Sinatra is.”

“I told you already, I grew up in Lilburn, Georgia.” Violet smiled, joking slightly with the other. “It’s not my fault.”

“Yes, what was that like?” Shane took a bite of his brownie, setting down a tray. Clearly, he didn’t expect a real answer, but he has forgotten they had given Violet wine.

The young woman took a deep breath. “It was hard, like… Really hard… Actually it was pretty much hell, I know I’m like… I know I’m weird and that I’m kinda… Different, I see the way people look at me at Galactica, I know, believe me, I do, but I’m trying to get better.”

“Different how?” Betty couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Galactica was such a mix of personalities that Betty was sure everybody looked differently at everyone else, but hell, she was always a freak, so she could be wrong.

“Like I don’t belong? I’m not sure, I’m sorry… It’s not… It’s not that easy to explain… I just… Sometimes, or rather… Most of the times I just feel like I don’t deserve to be in design…"

“Are you kidding? Of course you deserve to be there! Do you think it matters where you’re from?” Shane rushed to comfort Violet, patting her back gently.

“Yeah, as far as I’ve heard Miss Fame is from a chicken farm or something. So you shouldn’t worry about it. Besides”, Betty put a hand on Violet’s back too, “you won the jacket spot over me, remember? I take it as proof that you belong right where you are, and I mean your desk in design, not Fame’s front office.” Betty could see Shane looking at her over Violet’s arm with pride and love.

“Thank you… That’s… That’s really nice.” Violet smiled, leaning into Shane’s arms.

“Alright, enough of this sappy shit, let’s get back to the game. I believe it’s my turn. Should we get more wine?”

***

“Thank you so much for today, Bets.”

Betty was seeing Violet off to a cab downstairs. The afternoon has turned into an evening, and then into night, and Violet didn’t think about the sketches tucked into her purse even once, her mind finally relaxed and ready to fall asleep very soon, the wine letting her get cuddled up in a pleasant buzz.

“It’s not a problem.”

“No, really, I’m very grateful for the fact that you invited me. Thank you.”

“Come here.” Betty pulled Violet into a hug, surprising her a little by the warm gesture. “It’s really nothing. Glad you enjoyed it. Anytime, alright?”

Violet nodded with a smile, seeing her cab pulling up. “Goodnight, Bets!”

“See you tomorrow.” Betty waved, walking back into the building.

“Not if I see you first!”

 


	24. Chapter 24

Laila was standing in the airport, going over the list of things in her mind she had to get done. Laila was looking forward to going to Paris, she was looking forward to seeing Pearl and she was looking forward to logistics rule number one. Logistics rule number two however, was, unfortunately for Laila, travelling with Violet Chachki: the creature of flawless hair, owner of an office desk full of non-ripped stockings and possibly the cutest winter coat in existence. The girl in question was heading straight for Laila, and Laila quietly did her ave marias. Violet rolled up her big suitcase to where Laila was waiting for her by the luggage check-in at the airport.  
  
“Hey.” Violet smiled. “I’m sorry if I’ve kept you waiting, have you already checked your luggage?”  
  
Laila looked down at her own tiny suitcase. “No, I’m flying with just carry-on if that’s alright.”  
  
“Oh, oh okay. I’ll check mine as fast as I can and then we can go.”  
  
As soon as Violet went away and Laila could breathe again, she pulled out her phone to text Pearl.  
  
LAILA: 8 hours with your girl Violet. Send help  
  
PEARL: Just talk about fashion and u will b fine  
  
LAILA: Like I know anything about fashion, bitch  
  
PEARL: Dont sweat it kid, ViVi loves u, who wouldnt ❤  
  
So the conversation with Pearl wasn’t very helpful, and Violet was already approaching Laila with a coy smile on her face. “Hey, so I got some news, we have apparently been upgraded to business class, I think my boyfriend called and got us new seats, he’s very sweet that way, I accepted since the 8 hour flight will be much nicer in first. I hope that’s okay?”

Laila faked a smile. “Yeah, that’s cool.”  
  
“Great! I’m glad.” Violet handed Laila her ticket, their hands touching slightly. “Let’s enjoy one of my favorite parts of business. No lines at security.”  
  
They didn’t talk much during the security control, Laila busy with thoughts of Paris and Pearl and hanging out with Pearl in Paris, Violet lost in her own world as well. Because of the line cutting, they found themselves with almost an hour to spare before their boarding was about to start, and Laila had to speak up.  
  
“Maybe we should get coffee? There must be a Starbucks in here somewhere.”  
  
“Oh, yeah, sure, that’d be nice.” Violet pulled her eyebrows together. “Actually.. I think we can go to the Delta golden lounge. I’m pretty sure we are entitled to a meal and drinks with our new tickets. Is that alright with you?”  
  
At this point, Laila doubted her opinion really mattered. “Sure, why not”, she said, and let Violet lead her to a quiet room with soft jazz music, a nice view of the airport and sophisticated furniture. The man checking their boarding passes at the entrance looked Laila up and down, assessing her worn winter boots, a jacket with fake fur around its hood and then a cashmere sweater that was a gift from Pearl, so Laila raised her head, trying to send him a challenging glare, but she ended up smiling at him awkwardly instead.  
  
“Excuse me sir, is everything alright? ” asked Violet, her voice full of care and professional calmness, “my friend.” Violet placed her hand on Lailas arm. “and I, would hate to miss out on the services of the Delta line lounge before our flight to Paris.” and the Delta employee just nodded.  
  
“Of course, miss, I’m sorry. Please go through.”  
  
Laila wanted one of the soft armchairs by the window to just suck her in and let her disappear, but Violet had other plans, dropping her bag and coat on a sofa.  
  
“Can I get you something, Laila? Do you want anything in particular? I have heard that the menu here is quite extensive, but I don’t think we should eat too much, unless you’re very hungry. Did you have dinner? I’m sure the kitchen could prepare something.” Violet looked at her phone, the 6+ seeming gigantic in her delicate hand. “If they can’t you shouldn’t worry too much, there’s going to be food on the plane, but the general rule before an air travel is to eat light, it’s better to be hungry when flying under any circumstances, it makes the food a little easier to enjoy.”  
  
“Okay, I think, I think - I’ll just have whatever you’re having. And a white coffee, if that’s okay?”  
  
“Sure, two sugars and a dash of milk?”

“Yes please.”

Violet rushed to the bar, her steps small and confident in the high heels she was wearing. Laila felt hot enough to finally take off her winter jacket.  
  
“It’s a very lovely sweater”, Violet had just placed the order and returned to sit opposite to Laila.  
  
“Thanks. It’s a gift from Pearl.” Laila loved the black cashmere sweater, even though it wasn’t 100% her everyday style. But it was soft, warm and went with everything and, most importantly, it was a gift from Pearl.  
  
“It looks great on you, I can see why Pearl choose it. It’s a J-Crew, right?”  
  
Laila made a point to remember the brand from the tag. “Yeah”, she smiled, happy that for once she did not embarrass herself.  
  
An awkward silence was about to fall upon them, but the waiter arrived with Laila’s coffee, a bottle of Perrier and two tall cocktail glasses of… oh no.  
  
Two shrimp cocktails were standing in front of them, the smell already reaching Laila’s nostrils, making her stomach queasy. She checked her phone quickly: still 40 minutes to boarding. The only thing she could hope for was a miracle, or a fire alarm.  
  
“I know that you’re not suppose to toast with these, but…” Violet picked up her glass. “Well, why not toast to Paris? It’s a magical city, and I’m sure you’re going to enjoy it too, as they say Paris est la ville de l'amour and you’re going with Pearl.”  
  
Laila faked a smile again, raising her shrimp cocktail Violet’s way. “To Paris.”  
  
Violet took one shrimp into her fingers, dipped it in sauce, and placed it in her mouth elegantly. Laila inhaled deeply.  
  
/Just imagine it’s chicken./  
  
She could imagine all she wanted, but in her mouth it still tasted like seafood, with was her number one enemy on the food list. At least the sauce killed the foul taste a little, so she dipped the next shrimp in as much sauce at possible, swallowing fast, without much biting.  
  
When she was done with her fifth and final shrimp, she looked up at Violet, who was only on her second one. Their gazes met.  
  
“Wow, that was quick. Did you enjoy it? You can have mine if you want, it’s perfectly fine.”  
  
Laila nodded, trying to form her features into a convincing expression of joy, but she just couldn’t stop the tears that went down her cheeks from the foul taste. “Laila, honey, what’s wrong?” Before she managed to hide herself behind her cup of coffee, Violet was by her side with a tissue, gently dabbing at Laila’s cheeks, her other hand reassuringly resting on Laila’s arm.  
  
“Are you okay? Is this because of the food? If you wanted something else you should’ve told me!”  
  
“I’m sorry, but I just fucking - I’m sorry! I hate seafood.”

“Oh goodness me, then why did you eat it? That must have been horrible for you.”

"I’m sorry, Violet.” Laila drank half a cup of coffee in one gulp to get rid of the taste. “I didn’t want to hurt your feelings or anything. Sorry.”  
  
“Why are you apologizing to me? I’m the one who didn’t take your preferences into account and made you cry, if anyone should apologize here it should be me.” Violet smiled a little, a box of mints coming out of her bag which she gave to Laila.   
  
"Thank you, Violet. I really appreciate it, I do.”  
  
“So, do you want anything else to eat?” Laila could swear Violet winked.  
  
“Maybe not, thanks”, she laughed.

***

“I’m going to the bathroom, should I get anything from you while I’m gone?”

“Whatever is fine.”

“I’ll get you some water then.”

Violet smiled sweetly, a slight headache already forming behind her brow. Laila was… Nice, very nice, but it seemed like she had decided that Violet was a total bitch and it was quite frankly exhausting. They were well over the Atlantic and Laila was still as jumpy as a newborn animal, acting like she expected Violet to attack her each time they spoke when Violet in reality just wanted to read her book about the history of the brass button and enjoy the fact that the plane forced her to relax for the first time in weeks.

Violet stood up, thankfully not having to crawl over Laila because of their first class seats. She gently smoothed down her skirt, a silent thank you to Sutan leaving her mind for the fact that he had upgraded them, letting the both of them have more than enough space so she hopefully wouldn’t bother Laila too much. Laila always seemed so cool, her style a fuck you to the world that Violet knew she could never dream of replicating.

Violet walked to the toilet, her fingers pulling absently at the hem of the cardigan she had wrapped around herself as the air on the plane was rather chilly. Laila had practically been shaking when they took off, the poor thing revealing to Violet that she had never flown before, so Violet had instantly grabbed Laila’s hand, holding it in hers across the aisle until they were officially in the air. Violet knew she had told Laila some silly story about her own travel worries, but she could barely remember what she had said, only that for a moment it felt like Laila had actually trusted her and not just seen her like some weird alien who talked nonsense all the time.

Violet returned to their seats a little while later, a cup of tea in one hand and a bottle of water for Laila in the other, but Laila was sleeping heavily, her head rested against the window, her mouth open as she snored slightly and Violet couldn’t help but smile as she gently placed Lailas water next to her, letting the other girl get some sleep.

***  
  
The plane landed in Paris right on schedule.  
  
Laila’s legs were a little shaky and she felt a bit dumbfounded from her sleep, but she was glad they’ve reached the destination in one piece.  
  
As they waited to pick up Violet’s luggage, Violet was telling Laila all the ins and outs of Fashion Week in Europe, and Laila found herself getting interested. There was something very appealing about the way Violet spoke, the words practically spilling out of her mouth, showing how fashion was clearly her biggest passion in life, her eyes firing up with anticipation of what was awaiting her here, in Paris.  
  
Laila’s phone vibrated in her pocket.  
  
PEARL: R u guys here? Ive been waiting 4ever  
  
LAILA: Waiting for V’s bag. Soon!  
  
Excitement stirred up in Laila’s belly. She was exhausted after the flight and her head was mildly hurting from the weird feeling of being in the air, but she couldn’t wait to finally see Pearl and feel her arms, her lips, hear her speak. They’ve been apart long enough. Wanting to share the good news about Pearl waiting for them with Violet, Laila looked to the other girl only to see her frowning at her own iPhone, unable to hide an expression of disappointment and hurt.  
  
“Violet? What’s wrong?”  
  
“What?” Violet looked at Laila, her expression quickly molding into a pleasent smile. “It’s nothing.” Violet quickly put her phone in her coat pocket. “Or… It’s my boyfriend, he told me he would come pick me up, but he just texted me to tell me he can’t make it… Something important came up.” Even though Violets words sounded like she was okay, her voice told a very different story. “It’s okay, things like that happens… It is Fashion Week after all, you know how that is.”  
  
Laila didn’t. “Not really, haha.”  
  
“Oh, no, no of course you wouldn’t, I’m sorry I didn’t think!”  
  
“I’m just kidding! Why don’t you ride with me and Pearl then? We’re all staying at the same hotel anyway, and she texted me that she’s already waiting.”  
  
“Are you sure? You haven’t seen her in weeks,I don’t want to disturb you guys. I can take my own cab, it’s okay.”  
  
“Come on, that’s out of the question. You’re riding with us, it’ll be fun!” Laila bit her tongue, already regretting what she had said a little. “Isn’t that your suitcase?”  
  
After Violet picked up her luggage and they were approaching customs, Laila very ready to finally get into that jacuzzi Pearl told her about, Violet grabbed her shoulder lightly.  
  
“Laila? I’m sorry, but I need to go to change, I can’t wear this out there.” Violet gestured to herself. “Do you have a new change of clothes as well?”

“Not really, no.”

“Oh… Well you can go to Pearl if you want to, I’m not going to keep you.”  
  
“It’s okay, I can wait!” Laila couldn’t even be surprised that Violet was the kind of girl to change her clothes after a flight, even though, to Laila’s eyes, she still looked impeccable.  
  
“Really? Thank you, you’re a dear! I’ll be back before you know it, I promise.”  
  
Laila’s phone started vibrating again, showing her Pearl drinking champagne straight out of the bottle. Pearl’s caller ID never failed to make Laila grin.  
  
“What’s up?”  
  
“Did you die in there, Laila? I’m about to die here myself! I’m pretty sure some French kid just insulted me. Oui, je vous parle, vous psychopathe! Kids are the fucking worst. Please come alreadyyyy”, drawled Pearl.  
  
“Can you keep it in your pants for ten more minutes? We’re almost out, I promise.”  
  
“If you’re not here where I can kiss you in ten minutes, I’m leaving alone!”  
  
“Bitch, like you could ever.” Laila hung up, sending a smile to Violet who was just leaving the bathroom in fresh clothes; she even had a different pair of shoes on. “Ready to go?”  
  
Violet nodded.  
  
With her own eyes, Laila finally saw what she only watched in movies until now: people lining up behind the glass door, holding signs, balloons and flowers, expecting their family members, loved ones or just picking up company employees. Pearl was hanging at the back of the crowd, pacing back and forth, some Parisian twist in the way she was dressed (Laila decided it was the big scarf).  
  
“Look, there she is!” pointed out Violet, but Laila was already walking in a faster pace, leaving the brunette behind. The moment Pearl saw her, her face broke into a brilliant grin.  
  
“Laila!” Laila was already right next to her girlfriend, looking up at her, waiting for Pearl to choose the way they should greet. Pearl bent down to kiss Laila right on the lips, never mind the people around them, nevermind Violet who just caught up with them. Laila leaned into the blonde, enjoying the moment, inhaling the scent of Pearl’s hair.  
  
That was a proper airport greeting if she ever saw one.  
  
“I missed your face”, whispered Pearl, grabbing Laila’s hand fitmly, only then noticing Violet. “Oh, hey ViVi”, she leaned in to kiss Violet on the cheek.

“Don’t call me that.” Violet smiled and kissed Pearls cheek as well, neither of them leaving behind lipstick marks, a skill Laila admired. “Laila offered me a ride with you guys, is that cool?”  
  
“Of course!” Pearl turned to Laila again. Happiness claimed the shorter girl as she watched her girlfriend all giddy about her arrival. “Did Violet take good care of you? Was the flight alright? Can I take your bag? Your jacket? Are you very tired?”  
  
“I’m okay, babe! And the flight was fine, thanks to Violet.”  
  
“Don’t mention it.”

Laila felt her stomach clench a little at Violets dismissive tone, but Pearl seemed in good spirit so she decided to let it slide.

In the taxi to the hotel, Violet took the front seat, and Pearl never once let go of Laila’s hand as they both sat in the backseat, Laila’s head resting on Pearl’s shoulder. Truth be told, she didn’t dare to look at Pearl much, afraid she won’t be able to control herself. One of Pearl’s hands was already pretty up high on Laila’s thigh, and they couldn’t quite start making out in the presence of Violet and the cabbie.  
  
The three of them entered the hotel, leaving their suitcases with the doorman as Violet quietly and quickly gave him their room numbers. Laila could already sense the luxury surrounding her, trying to take just a little peek at the street the hotel was situated on, but the darkness of the night didn’t make it that easy.  
  
Suddenly, Laila felt Violet grab her by the elbow, so she turned her way quickly, her hair flying. Violet was staring at someone ahead of them in a hotel lobby: a sharp-dressed, dark skinned, tall man with grey hair that had his back at them as he was talking to a waiter. He was seated by the bar with a drink at his side and a big black book in front of him.

“Is… Is that? No… No, it can’t..”

Violet’s breath caught in her throat as the guy turned to them and she saw his face, her own features lighting up immediately as she clearly held back tears. “Oh my God.. It is.”

Violet released Laila’s elbow as her hand went to cover her mouth, her voice filled with disbelief.

“Sutan!?”  
  
The man matched Violet’s smile with one of his own from across the room.  
  
Violet ran his way, suddenly stopping right in front of him as if she had gotten shy, like she wasn’t sure what to do until the man opened his arms and Violet immediately slotted herself right into them, the man kissing the top of her head and whispering something to her, Violet’s head hidden in his shoulder as she clinged to him.  
  
“Is that Violet’s mystery boyfriend?” Laila whispered to Pearl, who chuckled.  
  
“In the flesh. Let’s leave them alone, alright? You can meet him some other time.”  
  
That was an idea Laila could get behind. The no-longer-mystery boyfriend was still holding Violet even though they had sat down, his arm around her waist, Laila catching something about schedule changes and someone called Mimi. Laila and Pearl could’ve as well be dead to Violet in that moment of reunion with her beloved, so they disappeared into the elevator, ready to have their own reunion.

While riding up, Laila stayed in Pearl’s arms, almost dizzy with anticipation. The adrenaline that was supposed to be leaving her already only kept growing in her, seeing as Pearl couldn’t keep her hands to herself anymore and all but shoved Laila through the corridor and into the room as soon as the elevator door opened.

The room door clicked shut behind them and Laila didn’t even get a look around before she was being pushed against the door, Pearl’s lips on hers again. Laila wrapped both her legs around Pearl’s waist and the blonde lifted her, holding her up, them making out like it was their first or last time.

"Hello again”, mumbled Pearl while Laila was catching her breath, slowly sliding to the floor. “Welcome to Paris.”

“I definitely feel very welcome here.”

Even though taking her eyes off Pearl always proved difficult, Laila wanted to get a proper look around the apartment. There was a lot to take in: a lounge with sofas, a bar and a huge tv screen, panoramic windows showing a busy street below, an arch in the wall revealing a bedroom with an enormous, fluffy white bed. There was a vase full of colorful, wild field flowers on the table in the middle of the room, Pearl’s clothing strewn around the place.

“That’s - a nice room, Pearl.” Laila couldn’t find words to express how overwhelmed she was. Pearl shrugged, tossing aside her coat and stepping out of her shoes.

“It’s alright. Wait until you see the bathroom.”

“There’s something else I’d rather see first”, said Laila, hooking her finger into the waistband of Pearl’s leggings. Pearl gave a broken, quiet moan before her hands wandered to Laila’s ass. They started making out greedily, Pearl lifting up Laila’s sweater and t-shirt and taking them off, wasting no time before unzipping Laila’s bra and letting it fall to the floor.

Half-naked already, Laila muttered “Unfair” and started tearing off Pearl’s clothes, too, attacking her girlfriend’s revealed collarbone with her teeth, leaving a mark, feeling Pearl’s knees bend. Laila smoothed over the mark with her tongue, Pearl’s hands in Laila’s hair, movements becoming messy and blurred.

“I missed you so much, Laila, you don’t even know, so, so fucking much.” Pearl was mumbling, kissing all over Laila’s neck and chest, trying to hold onto as much of Laila as she could with her hands. Meanwhile, Laila was concentrated on her task of getting Pearl out of her clothes, and soon she realized Pearl wasn’t wearing any underwear whatsoever.

“You went to the airport like that?”

Pearl grinned devilishly, completely unashamed of her naked body, long blond hair falling on her tattooed arm and her perky breasts. “Just for you.”

Taking a deep breath, Laila ran her palm up and down Pearl’s side, slowly, wonderingly, making the other girl shiver. Pearl was heaving for air, eyes fixed on Laila’s face, both of them seconds away from jumping each other again.

“Can I see the jacuzzi now?”

***

Sutan sat down on the sofa in their hotel room, a small smile on his face.

“Come here.”

“What?” Violet looked over at him, the girl slowly removing her jewelry. He could tell she was tired after her long journey, their pitstop at the bar only barely covering the fact that he knew she hadn’t slept for a long time.

“Come here.”

“But I’m not-”

“I said, come, here.”

Sutan watched Violet stiffen, a smile on his face as she finally obeyed his command, one of her earrings still in her ear. Sutan placed his hands on her hips, pulling her tight, a gentle kiss landing on her stomach.

“I want to reward you.”

“For what?” He could see that Violet wanted to fidget, her fingers flexing like she needed to grab something, but Sutan kept her tight.

“For following my orders, I can smell your arousal mata indah.” Violet blushed, a shiver running through her, a fresh gush of wetness soaking her panties. “I couldn’t pinpoint it in the bar, what was happening to you, why you were so soft and sweet, leaning into me, letting me take complete charge of you in front of so many strangers, but now I know, isn’t that right?”

“I, I don’t know what you’re talking abo- Ah!” Violet gasped when Sutan’s hand made contact with her ass, the slap stinging even through her dress.

“Get over my knee.”

Violet nodded, her lips slightly wet. “Yes sir…”

Sutan smiled, Violet scrambling to obey, his sweet girl not even slipping out of her shoes before she draped herself over his lap, the delicious weight of her pressing down on his erection, but he wasn’t going to rut, no matter how good it already felt.

“Do you like this dress?”

“Y-yes…” Violet tried to turn, tried to get eye contact with Sutan, but he stopped, a hand on her neck holding her head straight forward, and he could practically feel Violet relax under him. “Hands on the floor, palms flat, eye straight.”

Sutan hummed in approval as Violet obeyed, and yet another shiver went through her. His free hand was slowly running over her stocking clad thighs, going up up up over her impossibly long legs.

“I think it’s a Valentino, isn’t that right?”

“Y-yes.”

“And who got this for you?”

“You did.”

Sutan spanked her, an open palmed slap hitting her.

“You did what?”

“You did sir, oh God, you did.” Violet whined, she tried to move her hips, tried to get free so she could do something, anything, about the burn between her legs.

“Good girl.”

Sutan slowly pulled up Violet’s dress, baring her ass and upper thighs for view. He could see that her panties were soaked through, the dark fabric clinging to her.

Violet moaned, helpless in his hands.

“Are you my good girl?”

“Y-yes, yes I a- Ah!” Sutan’s hand came as a surprise, his palm making contact with her white flesh, leaving behind a perfect hand print.

“Are you my beautiful girl?”

“I…”

Another slap.

“Answer me, are you my beautiful girl?”

“Yes, yes I am, please, I-”

Sutan smiled, his hand giving her three hard hits in quick session.

“Are you my clever girl?”

“Yes!”

Sutan chuckled when Violet agreed right away, his darling catching on to his game so quickly even though she was close to delirious with pleasure. Sutan hit her, again and again, painting her skin with his hand, mark after mark getting left behind as he complimented the woman on his lap, slap after slap making her moan until she was shaking, tears falling from her eyes, her thighs covered in her arousal.

Sutan stopped, his hand slowly petting Violet’s abused flesh, making her whimper. He reached down, his hand covering her sex, his fingers just about to slide underneath the soaked fabric of her panties, but Violet tensed up.

“No, no!”

Sutan stopped moving instantly. He could feel how wet Violet was, his own cock painfully hard, and now she wanted him to stop. “No?” Sutan was about to move his hand when Violet moaned again, her head shaking, making him stop.

“No!”

“No?”

“I…. I want… Not like this…” Violet’s breathing was heavy, as if she was trying to pull herself back from a ledge, like she was trying to stop herself from tumbling into darkness, her fingers tucked into tight fists. “I… I… I want to come with… With you in me… Please, I’ve been… I’ve been waiting… I… I want.”

“Of course.”

Sutan smiled, of course she surprised him, catching him off guard even in this, a situation where he was suppose to be in total control, but not with his Violet there, not with his beautiful girl. Sutan grabbed her hair, Violet moaning helplessly as he used it to guide her to the bed, his girl trembling on unsteady legs, her heels making her look like a baby deer as she tried to keep upright. Her skirt had fallen down, so Sutan reached beneath, tucking down her panties, letting them fall to the floor.

“Please, please, I… I…”

“Sssh, sssh, I’m here.” Sutan pushed Violet down on the bed, a broken moan leaving her as she landed on her ass, the silk sheets burning against her sensitive flesh, but Violet didn’t pay it any attention, their eyes locked together as Sutan undid his belt. Sutan was hard, the head of his cock peeking out of his underwear, and he felt a swell of pride go through him when Violet gasped, her eyes closing, a shiver taking over her body, like he was truly turning her on, his body filling her with desire. Sutan pushed his clothes down, Violet whimpering helplessly, her hands reaching out when he crawled upon the bed, pulling him down in a tight embrace , her legs going around his hips, holding him in, their lips meeting in a slobby, desperate kiss.

Sutan steadied himself, thankful for the extra hours he had put in at the gym as he held himself on one arm, not wanting to crush Violet, the girl too far gone to care, her mouth claiming his again and again while he pushed into her, her dress pushed up around her hips. Sutan moaned. She was so warm, so wet, so utterly delicious and his. He barely had time to adjust, but it didn’t matter, not when Violet was moaning underneath him like this, her eyes scrunched shut in pleasure, her nails scratching his arms, his back, everywhere she could reach as she desperately tried to hold on, the pain of her abused skin bringing her closer and closer to the edge.

Sutan leaned down, the angle changing slightly and Violet came, taking him with her, both of them tumbling over the edge, Sutan with a groan, Violet with a surprised little gasp, like she hadn’t expected her orgasm at all. Sutan came for what felt like an eternity. Violet holding him so close, her arms around his neck, her small moans as he rocked his hips filling him with warm delicious pride. Sutan pulled out, careful not to get any of his seed on Violets clothes, his handkerchief getting out of his pocket and between her legs before he laid down next to her, Violet barely there when he kissed her, small satisfied sounds leaving her as she drifted, secure in the knowledge that Sutan would always take care of her, and that she was home, safe, where she belonged: in his arms.

***

Laila and Pearl ended up chest deep in warm, bubbly water with two open bottles of champagne, Laila sitting on Pearl’s lap with two of Pearl’s fingers deep inside her, little drops of sweat from Laila’s temples falling on Pearl’s forehead. The entire thing was insane.

Three months in, there were still days Laila felt like she was accidentally living someone else’s life. She was a stripper/waitress with a punk rock band and a couple of shitty tattoos, renting a one-room shithole in one of the worst neighbourhoods of New York, but right now, she was drinking Dom Perignon in a Sheraton in Paris, getting fucked by a former model who was also her girlfriend and, apparently, crazy about her.

It was like getting rollerskates for Christmas when you’ve been expecting just socks.

***

“So I have to be at the YSL show in like 3 hours, but we have enough time to get you a map of Paris, a proper European charger and some money. You sure you want to go sightseeing alone, though? Hardly anybody speaks English here, they’re self-loving pricks.” Pearl pressed a button to call the elevator. It was already late morning in Paris, since the girls have slept in after an eventful night.  
“I’ll be fine, Pearl.” Laila couldn’t wait for the opportunity to explore the city, and if she had to do it alone, she’d do it alone. “I’m a big girl, I can handle it.”

“Just come back in one piece, okay baby? I can’t wait for a repeat of last night with you.” Pearl winked, biting her lower lip, her eyes clearly stopping at the curve of Laila’s hips as they entered the elevator.

“Are you always this horny, or is the Paris air messing with your head?”

“You know me”, Pearl laughed, but even her laugh couldn’t mask the sound of her stomach grumbling loudly.

“You liar! Pearl, you said you weren’t hungry!”

“I’m not, Laila, I promise. It’s really okay. I’ll just eat at a reception later.”

“No way!” Laila looked at her tall and skinny girlfriend, worry sneaking into her mind about the fact that Pearl had just lied to her. “There has to be restaurant down here, right? Right? Come on, we’re going.” Laila grabbed Pearl’s hand as they exited the elevator on the ground floor, determined to keep her girlfriend well-fed, happy, and healthy. Thankfully they found a restaurant immediately, Laila rolling her eyes at the how fancy the hotel was, the restaurant an arrangement of bigger and smaller tables and velvety chair behind glass doors.

Just as they were about to go in, Laila and Pearl saw a very familiar couple that was also about to enter the restaurant, Pearl immediately perking up when she recognised them, Violet and Sutan turning around when she waved.

“Hey, guys! Good morning!”

“Hey…” Violet smiled, Pearl greeting the two with cheek kisses, Laila thankfully getting away without doing it.

“I didn’t realize you slept in, too, I thought Laila and I won that throphy.”

“Violet was tired after the trip, so we figured we could be a little lazy too.” Violet’s boyfriend spoke in a low, calming voice, his posture relaxed, but something about him was sleazy, rubbing Laila the wrong way even though he made Violet giggle, the girl so clearly in love with him it was almost painful to watch.

The waiter showed up, standing in front of them and speaking in French, Laila confused as the three French speakers started talking the language together, and Laila saw the car crash in slow motion when it turned out that that her and Pearl had to eat breakfast with Violet fucking Chachki and her weird boyfriend.

Pearl was holding her hand all the time. They sat down at their table, another waiter handing them menus, and Laila browsed through hers, realizing that, obviously, it was written completely in French, the only words she knew in that language being “oui”, “merci” and “merde”.

“What would you like, BonBon?” Pearl leaned over her arm, peeking at the menu, sensing that Laila was worried. “Oh, you gotta try the eclairs, they’re so fucking good in Paris, trust me. Do you want croissants, too?”

“Yeah, thanks, I’d love that. And a coffee, alright?”

“Of course!”

Sutan flagged a waiter, placing orders for everyone: porridge with some berries and a croissant for Violet, a banana, a partifet and some beans on whole grain toast for Pearl, an eclair and a croissant with jam for Laila and a fried egg, toast and avocado for himself.

“I love your hair today, Pearl. What did you do to it?”, asked Violet, trying to keep a conversation around the table going.

“Laila did it! She calls it an elf braid. Isn’t it awesome?”

“It’s very pretty!”

The eclair was probably one of the best things Laila has ever tasted, and the croissant wasn’t half bad either. Despite the delicious food, and even though she got enough sleep, Laila felt queasy, like a fog has settled over her head and refused to leave.

“You look a little unwell… Are you suffering from jetlag, Laila?” Violet was curiously watching Laila for a few minutes now, her expression worried.

“I - I don’t know? I guess?” If jetlag felt like very slow death, then that was probably it.

“One sec, let me order you a Amrull family secret against hangovers. It should work for jetlag too, right?” Sutan seemed unsure.

“Oh, get me a bloody mary too!” Pearl perked up, a mention of alcohol always never failing to work.

“You speak French as well, you can do that yourself”, noticed Violet.

“I do, smartass, but they know right away from my accent that I’m American. You blend right in, Miss Pari.”

“Alright, let it be.” Violet flagged the waiter and two stunning bloody marys were standing in front of them five minutes later. Laila reached for her glass, the rich taste of tomatoes almost making up for the fact that it contained absolutely no alcohol whatsoever.

Pearl smiled brightly, taking a long sip of her drink. “Ew… This is virgin.”

“Pearl, I know it’s Fashion Week, but it’s still before noon. You’re not drinking yet.” Sutan grinned at the blonde, wagging his finger.

“Fine, daddy.” Pearl rolled her eyes, clearly making fun of Sutan, making Violet gently kick her under the table. “At least go out for a smoke with me, then.”

Sutan, who was sitting right opposite Laila, just took off his jacket, revealing a white shirt with rolled up sleeves, and Laila noticed the tattoos covering his forearms. She smirked inwardly, a sneaking suspicion she had about Violet’s boyfriend confirmed. She saw so many guys like that at her bar, their exterior all neat and proper, snobby and lawyer-like, and then drooling over half-naked girls after hours, downing whisky after whisky or smoking weed, and as fun as people like that were to hang out with, they were also douchebags.

However, Sutan just put his arm around Violet, letting the girl settle into what looked like a well practiced routine, not a trace of the bitch Laila normally knew as Violet Chachki left as everyone around the table chatted, the atmosphere calm and relaxed and though Laila still didn’t feel comfortable around Sutan or whatever his name was, it didn’t matter, if Violet liked the douchebag, everything was fine.

“Oh, right, Laila, before I forget.”

Violet leaned down to open her bag, fishing out a black box that she handed to Laila.

“Thanks, but…what is it?”

“Just open it and see for yourself!”

Inside the box, Laila found a European charger for her phone, an envelope with Euros, a small dictionary, a map of Paris, a metro card and some mints.

“The mints are just for fun, it’s not because I think you have bad breath or anything, I’m sorry, I’ll take them back.”

“No, no, don’t! Wow, Violet, I - thank you so much. You didn’t have to, really. Pearl and I were just about to go out and- “ Laila was stunned, not expecting the gift at all.

“Don’t mention it, it’s fine.”

“I really appreciate it, wow. Thanks again.” Laila tried hard not to peek into the envelope with money and try to count it, deciding to leave it for the time when she was alone, old habits dying hard.

***

Bianca sat in the Yves Saint-Laurent show, phone in her hands. It buzzed again and she glanced down at the screen, trying without luck to suppress her smile. Courtney had been sending her goofy pictures for several weeks with increasing frequency. There was the one of Dede sprawled out on her bed captioned “With you gone, she thinks she’s queen of the castle.”

There was a whole series of Courtney very clearly playing dress-up in her closet, wearing everything from her workout gear to office clothes (complete with glasses and a very Bianca-esque hairdo) to black-tie formal wear and long fur coats and turbans. There was a shot of the sparkling kitchen, and the words “My cooking style: Takeout. But at least the stove stays clean.”

This one was the dogs dressed up in tutus and nail polish, Courtney holding both of them in her arms, lower lip stuck out in an adorable pout. They miss their mommy, she’d captioned it. Bianca also did not miss the fact that her top was a deep v-neck sweater the same shade of sea green as her eyes. She looked incredible. Bianca shifted.

Next to her, her senior fashion editor, Trinity, was giving her some serious side-eye. “What?!” she asked, trying to set her mouth in a straight line.

“You just seem weirdly bubbly. Are you having a stroke?”

Bianca cleared her throat. “Oh, just my…friend…sending me pictures of my dogs.”

“Awww, let me see!”

Before Bianca could react, Trinity took the phone out of her hands.

“Oh, I see…” Trinity gave Bianca a pointed look. “This isn’t about the dogs, is it?” She began to scroll up in their conversation, and Bianca snatched the phone back.

“Kindly stuff it up your ass, please.”

Trinity laughed. After a beat, she added, “She’s pretty cute, though.”

“Shut up, whore.”

***

“She is /everywhere/ Patrick, am I cursed? Have I accidentally killed some baby animals? What have I done to deserve this?” Fame and Patrick was sitting in a car, Fame just giving the driver the pieces of paper Violet had prepared for her with addresses and a short explanation for every part of the day.

“Honey, think about your blood pressure.”

“You’re right, you’re right, I’m just… I’m so angry about it. How could she do this to me? How could she do this to us?”

Patrick tried not to smile at his wife’s outbursts, even the sight of Bianca sending her into a spiral of rage. “Fame, what if you just talked to her-”

“No! No, she doesn’t care, I’m not going to waste time on someone who doesn’t care. If I talk to her she’s just going to tell me I’m being overdramatic and dumb and she doesn’t care about my feelings or Raja’s feelings or the fact that this isn’t about Courtney at all but about the fact that she went behind our backs and didn’t have the balls to tell us.”

Patrick was running his hand up and down Fame’s arm, feeling how his wife slowly starting to calm down, the woman relaxing into his touch.

“It’s just… I thought we meant more to her… Bianca has always been ruthless and she never cares about anyone or anything… But I thought she cared about us…”

Patrick kissed Fame’s temple, sensing that her anger was slowly turning into the sadness he had seen so many times through the last months, because that was what was at the core of Fame’s anger; a sadness about the fact that someone she thought was her friend had screwed her over.

“Give it time, honey, give it time.”

***

“Heeeyy guys, this is Allison with the Model Behavior Squad backstage from Chanel, so hiiii everyone!” A blonde woman said into her cellphone camera. “Hey babes!” Another girl sang as she danced the camera.

A group of tall, featured models were hanging out together, basking in the pre-show glow. The girls were Celia, Allison, Jaslene, Naima, Fo and Raven, or as they called themselves, “The Amrull Girls”, were back together, all of them booked for one of the most important and beautiful shows of Paris Fashion Week. Males and females alike flocked to the show whether they were on the list or not. Just being outside the show was an experience for the eyes and ears as it was a collage of colors, textures, prints and metals. This was the show you needed to be at if you were anyone in fashion with an ounce of sense and the right cell phone number. However, Raven couldn’t bask in the Chanel pre-show glamour because she was, for the lack of a better word, sick as hell.

“Raven, are you okay?” Allison’s voice was low, the girl timid and quiet as always. “You don’t look too good… Can I get you anything?” Raven and Allison had worked together for years under Sutan, the blonde one of his favorite Caucasian models. Allison had the biggest bluest eyes Raven had ever seen.

“I’m fine, it’s just some allergies.”

“Are you sure?”

“Allison is right, Rave, you don’t look too good.” Fo turned her head, a makeup artist working on covering up the short girl’s freckles.

“Raven is an adult.” Came from Celia who was on her phone. “I’m sure she’s fine if she says she’s fine. Can anyone else access the wifi?”

Jaslene looked up from filing her nails at Celia’s comment, “You know that’s really fucked up.” She said frowning at the tall blonde as she fluffed her hair a little. “You okay, mami?” She asked Raven who was sitting on a small loveseat, with her head on a small pillow, as she dabbed lightly at her eyes.

“I don’t know,” Raven said with a small voice. “I feel so shaky, tired, my nose won’t stop running and my eyes keep getting dry and I can barely see. My contact solution that I brought with me burst on the train from London and I can’t find the brand here.” She said as she started to tear up. “I don’t even know if I can see down the runway let alone breathe and walk at the same time.”

Allison whipped out her phone feeling sorry for the older girl who was obviously not well but still came to work. “It’s okay, I know just who can help.”

***

“I can’t believe we’re here!” Violet smiled, totally overwhelmed. “I’m so excited for the show, I can’t believe I’m actually here…” Violet said softly as she and Sutan took their seats on the second row of the Chanel runway show. Sutan had gotten an extra ticket and gently asked Fame if he could please take Violet to the show, the blonde sitting on the other side of the room. This was the first time Violet got to see a show without thinking about work, she could just relax and take in the show as a spectator.

“I know, rumour has it that it is going to be a great show again this year,” Sutan said as he took her hand in his, his thumb gently gliding over Violet’s skin, petting her. This wasn’t as good as the trip to Aspen she missed but being here, right now, with Violet at the show and seeing her happy made him happy.

“It’s an Amrull Girl calling!” Sang Sutan’s cell phone as it rang and vibrated in his bag.

“Hmm, that’s odd.” Sutan said as he fished for his phone and looking at the picture that popped up. “Hey Allison, what’s up? Are you okay?”

“Raven is literally a sneeze away from a total breakdown.” Said Allison as she watched Fo sit beside the sick model and dab at her forehead lightly.

“How bad?” Asked Sutan concerned for the younger woman, who, though known for her dramatics, rarely asked for outside help, especially at work.

“Her eyes are dry, she has a bit of the chills and her nose is runny.” Allison said. “Even she said she doesn’t think she can make it down the runway like this. You gotta help her.” She pleaded.

“I will be right there, tell her I’m coming.” Sutan replied before ending the call.

“What’s going on?” Asked Violet as she watched Sutan scroll through his phone before locking it and putting it in his pocket.

“It would seem that our favorite Russian supermodel has fallen victim to a cold, and now everyone is freaking out since she has no eye drops for her dry eyes.” Sutan said as he rubbed the bridge of his nose. “And I have no idea how to help her, shit.”

“Don’t worry, I got this.” Violet said sweetly, grabbing Sutans hand before she stood up. She was a little disappointed that they may miss the show, but she didn’t want to see her friend suffering. “Come on,” she said as she got up. “Let’s go prevent a Raven sized temper tantrum of epic proportions.”

***

Celia looked over towards the couch where the other Amrull girls were gathered around Raven. “Ravey, you okay, baby?” She asked as she saw Raven’s shoulders shake from her coughing.

“Where’s Sutan?” Raven whimpered after her coughing fit. “I need Sutan.”

Jaslene offered Raven a sip of water before answering her question, “Alli called him so he will be here soon.”

“Jazzy, I’m so sleepy.”

“It’s gonna be okay, just close your eyes and everything will be okay when you wake up.” Jaslene replied sweetly as she laid her friend’s head in her lap as she stroked her hair soothingly.

***

“How long has she been ill?” Asked Sutan as he laid a tattooed hand gently on Raven’s forehead. He and Violet had just arrived backstage before the group of models spotted him and all but drug him towards the couch where Raven laid.

Fo took a seat next to Raven, concerned for the health of her friend. “We’re not sure,” she answered. “She was fine earlier, you know; we had lunch, went to get pedicures and brow waxes and came here to get ready.”

“But it was like ever since we went through hair and makeup, her energy was just, pooof, gone.” Jaslene added, looking up at Sutan.

“Tan?” Raven said softly, slowly opening her eyes. “I’m sorry, TanTan.” She whispered softly as she felt his hand run through her loose hair.

“It’s okay, Rave,” he said, wiping the beads of sweat off her brow. “I have someone here who may be able to help you.”

Violet reappeared from behind Sutan, seemingly forgotten for the moment. “Hey Raven.” She said, waving her hand a little at her friend.

“Vivi, you’re here,” Raven greeted weakly, trying to sit up before Sutan gently pushed her back down. “I’m so sorry you have to be back here and see me like this.” She started as tears began to well up in her eyes. “I don’t know what I’m going to do.” She attempted to wail before she started coughing.

“Hey, hey, don’t don’t worry okay? Help is here.” Violet said as she opened her bag and pulled out a big sheer plastic ziplock bag filled with medicine, her hand on Ravens forehead, quickly taking her temperature. “I have everything you need.”

“How did you get this through customs?” Asked Sutan as he, along with the other models, watched Violet fish through the bag and start taking out little sealed packets of medicine.

Violet stopped what she was doing and looked up at him, “Why did you think I learned french?” The teasing smile on her lips made Sutan laugh and roll her eyes.   
  
“Okay, so, here are some fuzzy socks.” Violet gently grabbed Raven’s feet, slipping her boots and thigh highs off and putting on the soft socks. “You need to keep your toes warm. Have you had anything hot? Sutan, can you maybe get her some tea?”

“Sure thing baby.”

“Okay Raven, I have this Japanese drug called Eve A, it’s a mixture of ibuprofen, a mild sedative and it has a triple dose of caffeine. It’s one of the best painkillers in Asia. Take one now, and then take another one right before you get on stage, okay? Just remember to be careful not to overdose.”

“Okay…”

Celia grabbed Sutan’s elbow to get his attention before asking, “Who is this woman, Sutan? Is she another model?”

“Oh no, she is my girlfriend, Violet.” He replied as he watched her give orders to the other models while attending to Raven.

“Oh, I was just about to guess.” Celia sighed; she heard about Violet, but none of the other Amrull Girls besides Raven had ever met her in person. “Will she be able to help Raven? She’s supposed to have three looks and close the show in the final look as a winter preview.” She said, gripping his elbow tighter. She knew the winter preview was a big deal to not only Chanel, but also Raven, so she needed to be better by at least then. Hopefully, Violet could help her pull through.

***

“How is Raven doing?” Allison asked Violet as the younger woman came to join the group of models where they were hovering around Sutan as if he was a beacon of light and they were drawn to him like moths to a flame.

“She should feel better soon, she’s tired, she needs rest and plenty of fluids but I think everything will be okay.” Violet replied kindly. “She’s resting her eyes now and letting the medicine work. She should start feeling better in a few minutes.”

Celia let out a sigh of relief that she didn’t know she was holding in. “Well thank God, I didn’t want to have to take her place closing the show.” She said loud enough for Raven to hear her, causing the resting model to flip her off.

“She’s such a lady,” Jaslene said with a snort. “But Sutan, did you see the Alexander McQueen show? It was absolutely magical.”

“But can we get into how sickening you looked in that red leather pleated skirt?” Naima added, poking the Puerto Rican model in the side lightly.

“I did see it,” Sutan said with a smile as Jaslene all but preened under the attention. “You and Fo did a great job.”

Fo turned to look at Jaslene who was sitting in a director’s chair at an unoccupied makeup station in their little area. “See, I told you I saw him there!” She said with a grin. “He was sitting next to David Beckham and all of his tattoos and muscles.” She finished with a slight smile, the two girls giggling over the praise.

“Oh my gawd FoFo, he is definitely married, and aren’t you dating that guy with the job?” Celia said with a laugh.

“A girl can dream, can’t she,” Fo replied as she gave a wink to Violet who giggled. “But yeah, I’m still dating Anthony, and he works in finance.” She said looking at Celia as she rolled her eyes. “Hey, he’s a nice guy ,Ce.”

“Yeah…. He’s nice, but he also eats ketchup on everything.” Allison added.

“He’s not that bad.” Fo said with a pout as she crossed her arms.

“Girl…I saw him eat a ketchup sandwich,” Jaslene said as she took a sip of her bottled water. “I was like, ‘do you want anything to go with that?’ And he was like ‘nope, I eat it just like this.’” She continued. “So I was like ‘okay… Live your life like it’s golden.’ And I let him enjoy his condiment sandwich.”

“You guys make it sound like the end of the world.” Sutan said as he looked at the other models who were in various states of relaxation.

“It would be the end of his world if he stained my white carpet with that sandwich fuckery.” Raven grumbled from the couch, still with her eyes closed.

“Annnnd she’s back,” Naima said with a laugh as they all turned to look at Raven who had shifted so she was stretched out more on the couch. “How are you feeling over there, Rave? Do you need a sparkling water?”

“I’m a little hungry…I have grapes in my bag.” Raven said with a deep sigh.

“Don’t you remember, Rave, you ate them on the way here from the nail salon in the taxi.” Allison said as she came to sit next to Raven on the couch.

“Would you like an orange instead?” Violet asked as she pulled one out of her purse, causing the models to look at her curiously again. “The vitamin C will help you fight whatever bug you may have.”

Raven cracked a grey eye open to look at Violet who was sitting on the arm of the armchair Sutan was occupying. “That would be lovely, thank you, you’ve already done so much.” She said with a smile as Naima handed her the piece of fruit while she walked over to one of the Chanel stylists to go get her hair touched up.

“It’s no problem, really,” Violet replied with a blush as she noticed the other women were watching her intently.

“I hope you don’t mind me asking,” Celia started as she turned to look down on Violet. “But what else are you carrying in that bag of yours? Because a Chanel GST can only hold but so much before it gets too heavy.” She said as she watched Violet start going through her bag.

“It’s not like I have that much in here,” Violet said as she took out a small journal she kept for notes and details, her travel makeup bag and phone. “It’s just some Vaseline, a little boob tape, heel grips, ace bandage, a first aid kit, an emergency sewing kit for those pesky little fashion slip ups, three flavours of gum, trail mix, granola bars, a chocolate bar and that’s mine so don’t even ask for it. I also have some water, a swiss army knife, two power banks and my wallets with my IDs in case anything happens. Nothing too serious.”

“I hope you don’t mind, but can I have a granola bar?” Allison asked somewhat timidly. “I don’t want to take it from you if you need it…” She started before Violet cut her off.

“Oh, no no, that’s totally okay. Here” Violet smiled, giving one of the bars to Allison. “You never know what happens.”

“Yeah, my little Violet is always so prepared.” Raven said, now sitting up and peeling the rest of her orange. “Did I tell you about the time she saved my life last year because I thought I broke my ankle?”

“Hell, we needed her yesterday at the Comme des Garçons show the other day with the boob tape and gum.” Celia said with a shiver. “My nose and eyes will never be the same.” She said as she shook her head. “But what happened last year?” Celia asked Violet.

Violet looked down at her bag, suddenly nervous even though the others were very relaxed considering the chaos going on with the other models and stylists still trying to get people ready. “It was nothing, really…” She said shyly.

“But it meant everything to me,” Raven said with a bright smile.

“What did she do?” Allison asked as she popped a piece of her granola bar in her mouth.

“Well last year at the Dolce&Gabbana after party, I hurt my ankle and I thought it was broken because I couldn’t put any weight on it.” Raven started as she put an orange segment in her mouth. “But Violet sprang into action and knew exactly what to do and she made sure I could walk for the Louis Vuitton show I had to do the following afternoon.” She said proudly.

“Awww, that’s so sweet!” Jaslene said with a smile. “We all need friends like that in our lives.”

“Your girlfriend is so sweet, Sutan, she’s so much better than some of the others we’ve met.” Celia added.

“Like Kate,” Raven said rolling her eyes.

“She was fucking crazy.” Jaslene said as she watched Fo rejoin the group. “Like girl… Get a grip.”

“Or what about Tammie?” Asked Naima as she took a piece of Allison’s granola bar.

“See, Tammie wasn’t /that/ bad,” Fo said as she came to sit on the other arm of Sutan’s chair, absentmindedly running a hand through his hair.

“Yeah, she’s all for walking children in nature.” Celia said with a laugh thinking back on the eccentric redhead.

Raven stood up from the couch and stretched. “Come on Teletubbies, teleport us to Mars!” She said making the group laugh as she came to stand beside Violet. “But at least with my baby Violet, she isn’t shallow like all the other girls and isn’t a fucking stalker.”

“Chanel.” Jaslene said with a flat expression making all the girls nod.

“Out of all the girls we’ve seen you with, the was the worst.” Celia said as she rolled her eyes. “Like girl, it’s called personal space for a reason.”

“Are you all going to criticize all the women I’ve dated in the past 10 years?” Sutan sighed; if he gave them the chance, they would go down the list and pick apart all the women he’s brought around them for sport. The fact that they ever remembered the girls name a clear sign of how much more they cared about the list of his former conquests.

“Yes,” the models replied unanimously, causing Violet to giggle.

“Violet, you don’t have to worry about us talking about you,” Jaslene said with a smile as she looked over to Violet. “See you’re nice and you have emergency model and Fashion Week supplies.”

“Those other girls didn’t have shit but silicon tits and a taste for things they haven’t earned.” Raven said as she ran her fingers through Violet’s hair. “But my Violet is special.” She said with a smile, giving the younger woman a soft kiss.

“Alright ladies, you have 25 minutes!” Yelled a Chanel runway manager in accented English before repeating the announcement in French.

“Oh shit, I need to get my shoes!” Naima said as she jumped up from her spot and joined the last minute last dash to wardrobe and the traveling alterations studio.

“I guess that’s my queue to go,” Violet said as she put her bag back on her shoulder to get ready to leave the backstage area.

“Oh no!! Stay!!” Allison pleaded.

“But they… They already called time.” Violet replied timidly.

“Oh, don’t worry about that, as long as you’re not in the way you will be fine. That and you can see the outfit details better since they aren’t practically running down the runway.” Fo said easily. “Besides you’re with us, they won’t bother you.”

“Excuse-moi mademoiselle Raven,” interrupted a Chanel assistant. “Monsieur Lagerfeld wants to see you.” She said nasally as she left to complete her tasks.

“Thank you, Bridgitte.” Raven said as the woman walked off. “I’ll be right back.” She added.

“So how are you enjoying Paris so far?” Asked Naima when she came back to the group with a pair of heels in her hand. “Have you seen any cool shows?”

“Well, I’ve only been here for a day, so for the most part Paris is lovely.” Violet replied as she watched Allison and Celia start to change their clothes. “But this is the first show I’ve been to since being here.”

“Oh well, that’s good!” Celia said as she took off her t-shirt. “I hope you enjoy this show, it’s gonna be really cool.”

“Yearh… This is my first Chanel show I’ve been too where I wasn’t attending as part of my job.” Violet said with a smile, feeling at ease even though she and Sutan were surrounded by half-naked women in the process of changing, the mans hand on her knee grounding her.

“Oh well, that is cause for celebration in itself!” Fo said with a clap as she smoothed out her multicolored skirt. “Do you want a Chanel swag bag?”

Violet looked at Sutan before responding, “I don’t think that would be proper,” she started before Naima cut her off as she placed two swag bags in her lap.

“You helped the queen bee and you have all the treats in the world that we would need from gum to boob tape,” Naima said with a smile.

“So a swag bag or two is the least we could do as a thank you.” Finished Jaslene as she laced up her grey boots that completed her own multicolored outfit.

“It’s really not necessary, I mean… I was just trying to help my friend, but.. Thank you.. Honestly.” Violet said with a blush.

“Okay,” Fo started as she put on her fingerless lace gloves. “Well, consider the swag bags a thank you gift for helping our friend and us.” She finished with a smile.

“Guess who I found wandering around,” greeted Raven as she came back to the group.

“Karl!” Squealed the other models as Violet sat in shock, unable to believe she was this close to Karl Lagerfeld himself. She instantly stood up, the assistant part of her brain kicking in right away as she smothered down her clothes, making sure there were no wrinkles.

“You all look so beautiful,” Karl greeted. “And I’m glad you are feeling better, Raven.”

“Oh yes!! My darling Violet helped me out and now I’m feeling good and looking better.” She said as she came to stand beside Violet as she spoke to Karl.

“Well thank you, darling Violet,” he said as he turned his head to look at Violet. “You really held off a crisis.”

Violet was still in shock, even more now because Karl Lagerfeld knew her name and addressed her, “It’s not a problem…” She squeaked, ducking her head down to hide her intense blush.

“5 minutes until the line up!” Yelled a stagehand in english and then in french afterwards.

“Well I must go,” Karl said as he gave each of the models a kiss on the cheek. “Good luck and I like your suit, it’s very classic Chanel.” He said to Violet as he left.

“You okay, baby?” Sutan asked Violet, who he realized was still sitting there in shock.

“I just met Karl Lagerfeld… I… He complimented my suit… I… I think I need some air.” Violet said as if she was still in a daze.

“That means he likes you,” Allison said. “He’s such a sweetheart.”

“Him and his leather gloves.” Jaslene added with a laugh. “But I gotta go and line up since I’m up first.” She added as she grabbed her Chanel bag that completed her runway look. “But it was great meeting you, Violet!” She finished as she leaned down to give Violet a double cheek kiss.

“Yes! You’re so adorable and I can see why Raven talks about you so much,” Naima said as she put on a pair of sunglasses. “Don’t stay away so long, maybe we can do lunch.”

Allison fluffed out her ponytail, “Oh, that sounds like fun! Get our numbers from Rave so we can go shopping or whatever.” She said with a smile. “But I hope you both enjoy the show! Later, TanTan!”

***

“So how was that for an introduction?” Sutan asked with a laugh as the models left to go line up for their first looks, leaving the couple alone.

“It was interesting, to say the least…” Violet said with a small smile. “They seem like a lot of fun.”

“They are,” Sutan started as he wrapped his arm around her waist. “They are my very best models, my elite I guess I one could say.”

“I can tell, they really like you, and they really like each other..” Violet said as she watched the tv that revealed that the runway was set up like a supermarket.

“They do; Fo, Celia, Naima, Jaslene, Allison and Raven are some of the first girls I really signed. Whenever I need someone who really knows how to do their job, I call one of them.” Sutan replied easily. “I’m just happy they took to you the way they did. I’m not gonna lie, Celia and Jaslene are not the easiest to crack.”

“Well they seem really cool, and I’m sure nothing bad would have happened.” Violet said soothingly, as she watched Allison walk down the the unique runway.

Sutan snorted, “Yeah, because we all know Raven wouldn’t have let that happen.” He said with a laugh. “No one messes with Violet on her watch.” Sutan leaned in and kissed Violets temple.

“You’re the worst.” Violet said with a smile as she and Sutan continued to watch the show on the tv; life was good.

  
***  
Fame raced through the lobby. She absolutely HATED being late, and knowing she barely had 40 minute to change for her next cocktail party made her anxiety level go through the roof. To her chagrin, the elevator doors started to close and she called out, “Wait! Attendez, s'il vous plaît!”

A hand reached out and helds the doors open and she rushed in gratefully.

“Thank you so much!” she said, and then realized who she was speaking to just as the doors began to close again. Bianca.

Bianca nodded, but said nothing. Fame didn’t want to look at her, but found herself locking eyes with her, as if by habit. And there was something she didn’t see very often in those eyes. Something like…sadness? Bianca looked away.

Fame turned around, anger rising in her throat. How DARE she look at her like a wounded puppy? She wasn’t the victim here. This was entirely her fault. She’d been selfish and cutthroat and now she had the gall to look HURT? Fame clenched her fists.

Fame punched the button for the seventh floor dard, all the frustration and hurt and anger coming out in that single gesture.

Bianca chuckled dryly. “Damn, blondie. I know you’re mad, but you don’t have to take it out on the elevator.”

Fame whirled around, eyes blazing with fury. Now she was making a damn JOKE?

Bianca sighed and held up her hands in a gesture of surrender. “Sorry,” she said as the doors opened on the 5th floor. She exited, keeping as wide a distance from Fame as possible.

Fame bristled, and as the elevator doors began to close again, Bianca lowered her head and walked away. Tears pricked at Fame’s eyes. Why did she do it? Why did one of her dearest and oldest friends think it was okay to pull the rug out from under her? How did she not understand how much pain Fame was in, how betrayed and angry and simply…hurt, she felt?

She blinked rapidly, collecting herself, taking slow, deep breaths. Screw Bianca and the guilt blooming in her chest. They were not going to win today.

***

Violet opened the door to her room on the third try, thumbling inside. She was slightly buzzed as she had enjoyed a glass of wine with Fame at the party she had been too so everything felt wonderful, her mood high. Pearl had been amazing, the blonde’s energy through the roof since she was around Laila all the time, and Violet had missed dancing with Pearl, the other woman’s energy almost matching her own on the dancefloor.  
  
Violet saw Sutan sitting at the desk in the room, his glasses on, a big stack of runway shoots on the table in front of him. Violet bit her lip, a little disappointed that he was still working, even though it was nearing midnight. Fashion Week abroad was so very busy for Sutan, the man running from show to show, watching everyone as he was always searching for European talent that Elite could offer a career in America. They had been supposed to eat lunch together, but Sutan had had to bail since his friend Karl texted him about a last minute casting call from one of the minor labels which meant every unsigned girl had been gathering on the east side of the city.

Violet placed her bag on the floor, careful not to make too much noise, before she walked over to Sutan and wrapped her arms around him, a sweet kiss getting pressed into Sutan’s neck.  
  
“Hey…”  
  
“Hey.“  
  
Sutan didn’t look up, his concentration barely broken to greet her, and Violet couldn’t help but feel a little rejected. He couldn’t even give her a proper greeting?

“I missed you today… Did you have a good time?”  
  
“Mmh.”  
  
“Pearl and I did drugs and afterwards we had sex in the bathroom and I’m think I should cut off all my hair, move to Colorado and become a coal miner. Do you think that’s a good idea?.”

“That’s nice baby.”

Violet felt a little taken aback at the fact that Sutan hadn’t even answered her properly. Had he even heard what she had just said? Violet gave his neck another kiss and released him, a small sigh leaving her. She knew he didn’t mean anything by it, she knew that his job was important to him, but it was still a little hurtful. They were in Paris God damn it, the city of love and light and she was drunk, bored, horny and also a little lonely now that Sutan was obviously busy.

Violet walked to the other side of the room before she opened her dress and slipped out of it, for once not caring that it was on the floor since the wine was still in her blood. She was just going to take a shower and go to bed then, and who needed Sutan anyway? She had a few movies on his iPad that she hadn’t watched yet, and even though she wanted to do it with him, she could also do it on her own just fine.

Violet’s phone dinged from her bag, so she picked it up, a hilarious picture of Pearl and Laila at McDonald’s along with a few texts from Katya making her smile. Violet typed out a reply, her other hand getting the pins and hair ties out, her long hair falling down her shoulder as she shook it out, her concentration focused on her phone.

Sutan looked up and turned around at the ding, his concentration only broken when he realised that the phone sound wasn’t from his own. He looked around, trying to figure out where the sound came from when he noticed Violet standing with her back to him in just her underwear, a pair of long black stockings making his mouth water, her long black hair spilling down her back, her ass looking gorgeous as she was still in her heels, and he couldn’t stop looking at her.

“Hey…. When did you get in here?”  
  
Violet turned, and Sutan felt his stomach jump. Violet was beautiful as she stood there, her pink lips a little wet, a slight tipsy blush painting her cheeks, her phone in her hand.

“So you have time for me now?”

Sutan crinkled his brow, surprised at Violet’s words, but then he remembered the kisses against his neck and how he had most likely ignored her just moments before, the entire thing fuzzy in his mind as he had been so focused on a girl from Uganda he just couldn’t decide on.

“I do…”

Sutan leaned back in his chair, his eyes going over Violet’s body. He wasn’t quite sure how to handle the situation. Violet didn’t seem mad, only slightly dissapointed, which was actually a lot worse than her anger.

“What?” Violet placed a hand on her hip, a small smile on her face. “Stop staring at me.”  
  
“I’m just looking at you.”  
  
“You weren’t looking before.”  
  
“Come here.”  
  
Violet walked towards him, and Sutan couldn’t help but smile. She looked angelic, and he had no choice but to watch her, her walk confident and sharp, her posture and the way she held her body like she owned the world, and in that moment she truly did own his world.  
  
Sutan reached out, his hands resting on her hips, his fingers digging in slightly, Violet soft and warm under his palms. “You’re hired.”  
  
Violet laughed, shaking her head at his silliness. “Stop teasing me, I’m not a model, you know that.”  
  
“I’m not teasing you, Violet. I have watched over two hundred girls today, and none of them are even close to you, none of them has your beauty or your grace or your strenght.“  
  
Sutan pulled Violet down into his lap, her shoes slipping off as she curled up, their hips meeting while Violet’s arms wrapped around his neck. Sutan leaned in, his lips connecting to Violet’s chest, his teeth slowly and gently running over her breast, the lace of her bra scratching his cheek, and Sutan almost felt like they were back in the limo, back to the first time he had had the chance to explore Violet’s body like this.  
  
"Get on the bed.”  
  
Violet shook her head. “No.”  
  
“No?” Sutan looked up, a smile on his face before he pushed Violet’s bra out of the way, his lips closing around a dusty nipple, making Violet gasp.

“Not when I have your attention…” Violet ran her hands through Sutan’s hair, pulling it a little when he bit her. “Not when I have this moment where you only belong to me….”  
  
“I always belong to you.”

“Really?”

“Really..”

Violet leaned down, their lips meeting in a kiss for the first time that night, her hands coming up to remove Sutan’s glasses and place them on the table.

“Pick me up.”  
  
Sutan nodded, getting up from the chair with Violet still in his lap, her long legs wrapping around his waist, her arm around his shoulder supporting her.

Sutan stood, enjoying the weight of his girlfriend in his arms, the fact that she was so light that he could easily do this, the full feeling of ass in his hands, the warmth of her sex against his stomach made a shiver of delight run through him, his pants getting even tighter.

Violet giggled, her whole face light with joy.  
  
“My strong caveman.”  
  
Sutan rolled his eyes, knowing Violet made fun of him, but it was a delight as well, the wine in Violet’s body making her so open and free, willing to tease him and to play with him.

“Are you looking for a punishment, baby?”

Sutan studied Violet’s face, the girl’s fate literally in his hands since he could so easily drop her, but he wouldn’t. He trusted her and she trusted him, as it should be.

“… Maybe?” Violet smiled. She was so hot against him, he could smell her arousal, her eyes half lidded as she looked down at him.  
  
Sutan took two steps, throwing Violet down on the bed, the girl shrieking and bouncing before he grabbed her hips and turned her around, his hand connecting with her cheek with a loud deeply satisfying crack, the sound so satisfying to his ears.

Violet gasped, a moan leaving her at the pain, and Sutan smiled, his handprint already showing up on Violet’s creamy skin. Sometimes he build up, the more gentle touches sometimes what Violet needed to get used to the sensation of pain. When he did that the game could go on forever, his woman like butter in his hands, but that wasn’t what he wanted right now, wasn’t what he needed to remind Violet that he was there and that he was the one in charge.

Sutan held Violet’s hip, his right hand hitting her again and again, deep desperate moans leaving Violet as she fell onto her forearms, her whole body shaking each time he hit her.

Sutan gave Violet one last slap, her ass bright red, her skin wonderfully hot against his palm as he petted her, Violet whimpering when he pulled down her panties, a hiss of pain leaving her as she was ever so sensitive, the fabric totally soaked.  
  
Sutan slipped his fingers in, his thumb going straight for her clit, but Violet shook her head. “No… I want… I…” Violet looked at Sutan over her shoulder, her eyes barely opens, her voice so low. Sutan could feel this wasn’t the way she wanted to come, even though she couldn’t tell him, his hand slowly and carefully pulling away from her as he got an idea, as he remembered the position Violet always favored over anything else when he had made her writher in pleasure and pain.

Sutan flipped Violet over, quickly undoing his belt before he crawled on the bed as well, Violet grabbing his shoulder instantly, her leg going over his hip as she pulled him into a kiss, holding onto him like she was drowning and he was the only thing keeping her floating.  
  
"I’m here, I’m here.“ Sutan reassured her, the stickiness of her pink lipstick on his lips, but he was there, giving her the contact she always desperately needed after getting spanked, her body so relaxed and soft, like she had no control over herself.  
  
Sutan pushed down his pants, barely getting them down before Violet guided him into her, a small gasp and then a deep satisfied groan leaving her and Sutan almost felt himself get cross eyed like a stupid teenage boy, the fact that he had in his forties not helping him at all. Violet was so hot, so utterly perfect, so open and ready for him.

He kissed her again, thrusting into her in a steady rhythm now, knowing that Violet needed to feel him, needed to know that he was there. Violet moaned, her eyes closed, a shiver going through her as she came, the gentle rocking of Sutan’s hips, the intimacy of it all, the burn of her skin against the sheets all getting together to bring her over the edge, and Sutan followed shortly after, the sweet sounds and the total controle making him lose it as he emptied deep inside of her.  
  
He didn’t know how long he had laid on top of Violet, their bodies pressed together when Violet reached out, their fingers intertwining, her slim hand holding onto his, promising him that he was all she would ever need, even though they didn’t say a thing.

***

On Courtney’s 22nd birthday, she woke up early to messages from her parents. She Facetimed them as they were getting ready for bed, and while they were talking, the buzzer rang loudly. “Expecting company, love?” Mum asked.

“At 8 am? No,” Courtney laughed, still a little puzzled. It was too early for Fed Ex. Hopefully Bianca hadn’t forgotten to tell her about work in the apartment. But when she opened the door, there was a courier holding a huge box with her name on it. She sat down on the ground to open it. At the top was a note, which read:

Happy Birthday! Just something for tonight…Wish I could be there.   
-B  
P.S. The coat is faux, don’t worry…;)

Courtney looked through the layers and layers of tissue paper. There was an intricately beaded gold cocktail dress, matching shoes, accessories, and at the bottom…a long, luxurious, allegedly faux, fur coat with matching gloves.

COURTNEY: Bianca, thank you so much for the outfit! You’re the best. I think I’m gonna save it, though, since tonight I’m just doing dinner and drinks with Adore and some of the girls at Blossom.

BIANCA: Yeah that’s not what you’re doing. More details to come.

COURTNEY: ?

When Adore showed up later that day to get ready with her, she was all secret smiles and wouldn’t give any details except “the car will be here at 7.”

The rest of the girls showed up, clearly psyched about the secret birthday plans, and to Courtney’s annoyance, wouldn’t say a word. Even Tati, who normally caved immediately. They piled into the limo at 7, popping bottles of champagne and toasting “to whatever adventures await.” Courtney snapped a group selfie and sent it to Bianca, texting “I’m shivering with antici…”

Their first stop was a rooftop martini bar with views of the park, where a mixologist served them signature cocktails garnished with starfruit and a note saying, “For the brightest star I know. -B”

“Damn, my sister is not fucking subtle, is she?” asked Adore, and Courtney giggled, already buzzed and sending Bianca more pictures.

Dinner was at an upscale vegan restaurant called Candle 79, and even Morgan, who normally considered pizza without pepperoni to be toxic and put bacon on everything, had to admit that it was good.

After dinner, Courtney cuddled up between Tati and Morgan in the limo, drunk and happy and full. She sent Bianca another selfie, and said, “Best birthday ever!! Thank you B!!!! You’re amazing. I am speechless.”

Bianca just sent back a winking emoji, and when the car started driving in the opposite direction from her apartment, Courtney looked confused. “There’s MORE??” she asked.

Adore laughed. “Bitch, the party is just getting started!”

The other girls’ excitement was palpable. Tyra’s normally deadpan face looked thrilled, and Naomi appeared to be near tears.

“WHERE ARE WE GOING??” Courtney demanded, but Adore just blew her a kiss and pretended to lock her lips shut, tossing the imaginary key over her shoulder.

Courtney leaned back, and let Tati play with her hair. She picked up her phone, texted “…pation” to Bianca. The response was 10 laughing emojis.

In twenty minutes, the limo pulled up in front of Madison Square Garden, where Beyoncé was performing. Courtney’s mouth fell open. Adore opened her bag and produced 6 backstage passes, tossing one to each girl. Naomi squealed happily. Courtney picked up her phone and texted furiously, bounding out of the car.

COURTNEY: Ok. You’re officially insane.

BIANCA: Haha. So I’ve been told…

COURTNEY: I’m so overwhelmed. B, this is too much. I mean it.

BIANCA: <3

COURTNEY: I feel like a fucking princess.

BIANCA: Good. Happy Birthday, princess. ;)

Of course their seats were in the front row. And of course it was the most exhilarating experience of Courtney’s life. But in the middle of “Halo,” as Courtney looked around at the shining faces of her friends, she felt a lump in her throat. There was someone missing. And Courtney would have traded the whole night for a real chance with her, a chance to say how she felt, to show her how much she cared.

Later, Courtney paced up and down the hall in the dark, listening to the sounds of Adore’s gentle snoring in her bed. Stomach in knots, she pushed open the door to Bianca’s room and sat down carefully on her bed. She ran her hand up the comforter to one of the pillows, picking it up and burying her face in it, inhaling Bianca’s scent, curling around it like a puppy, brushing away the tears that leaked from her eyes.

***  
Even though the Paris trip was a rollercoaster, Laila was sad to leave the city. It has charmed her with its beauty and atmosphere, letting her discover the less known streets, ordering coffees in little quaint cafes that overlooked the Seine, feeling like a proper tourist, not even caring that everybody seemed taller, skinnier and better dressed than she was.

But they were coming back now, Laila and Pearl riding a cab to the airport with a redhead named Ivy, who was nice, sweet and somehow normal, which was rare among Pearl’s acquaintances. They didn’t have to worry about lines at security, Pearl leading them straight to business class entrance and then the duty-free zone. This time, Laila could get a proper look at the products for sale there, her eyes popping at the sight of the prizes.

“Oh! I gotta buy myself a new bottle of my perfume, do you see them anywhere, babe?”

“Didn’t you get a new bottle like three weeks ago?”

“I did, but they’re not gonna last long, besides, everything is just better if you get it in Paris, am I right, Ivy?”

“You are!” Ivy was already browsing through cashmere scarves that were on display, holding up a deep green one, Pearl showing her a thumbs up.

“Do you have any cash left, BonBon? You should get something nice for yourself too!”

“Well, I have like 200 euros left from the money Violet gave me, but…” To be honest, Laila kept thinking of exchaning the money once back in New York. She wasn’t sure what the exchange rate was, but she was pretty confident 200 euros could make up for some of the time she took off work to fly here.

“But? There’s no use for euro in America, so you gotta spend it right now, everybody does that! It’s what’s the best about shopping at airports! Come on, I’m gonna show you the makeup section, how about that?”

Before they left the store, 200 euros were only a memory, Laila carrying a bag full of expensive, European brand makeup and her own new bottle of perfume, Black Opium by YSL.

“Happy with the shopping, babe?” Pearl wrapped an arm around Laila, smiling brightly when they stepped on a moving walkway.

“I am. Although I’m running out of space in my bathroom because of all the stuff you’ve been giving me.”

“You need to get, like, a new shelf or something then.”

Laila brought Pearl closer by the nape of her neck to thank her with a long kiss. She just allowed Pearl to lead her through the airport, trusting that her girlfriend knew where they were supposed to go. They quickly found themselves in a lounge, similar to the one Laila and Violet waited in on their way to Paris (Laila still tried to forget the taste of shrimp cocktail and humiliation of that day). Only this time, Laila was let in without any trouble, no one batting an eyelash since she was hanging onto Pearl’s arm as they showed their boarding passes to the employees.

The lounge was full of people, Laila immediately realizing that this was their company for the flight, since she recognized Violet and her boyfriend with a weird name. Ivy was also there, sitting next to a slender, dark-haired woman with a vaguely familiar face, who was holding a hand of another beautiful lady, looking like a supermodel that walked out the front page of Vogue. A handsome man with greying hair was talking to a stunning blonde in her thirties, probably; she was wearing a fur coat and looked like the queen of Denmark.

“What are they all waiting for?” Laila asked stupidly, feeling small, irrelevant and underdressed among the suits, heels and dresses. They were supposed to board a 9-hour flight, did comfort not matter to these people? Also, how did anybody manage to look that hot at 11 in the morning?

“They’re waiting for our jet.”

“We’re going by jet?”

“Of course, business was full.”

“Huh… Awesome.” Laila wanted to fucking die.

Pearl approached the fancy people, namely the fur coat lady and her handsome man, giving the woman a kiss on the cheek that made her roll her eyes in annoyance, then giving the man a hug. Laila stayed a few feet behind her girlfriend’s back.  “Good morning, my turtle doves!“

"Good morning, my darling Pearl. How are you today?”

“I’m going to get a cup of coffee, anybody want something?” The man stood up.

“Whatever you want, sweetheart.”

“Have you met Laila, Miss?” The woman shook her head, an iron fist of anxiety grabbing Laila’s guts. Was the parade of Pearl’s terrifying friends ever going to end? “Laila! Baby! Come say hi! This is Miss “The Brand” Fame, my mentor, my savior and the love of my life! Fame, this is Laila, my super hot girlfriend and soulmate.”

From up close, the woman was even more flawless and intimidating, her face not giving away her age, hair in perfectly laid out waves, a timid smile as she shook Laila’s hand, gently, but firmly.

“Nice to meet you, Layla, it’s good to put a face on the woman who has enchanted my social media director.” Laila tried not to frown at the mispronunciation of her name. People like Miss Fame didn’t have to bother with names of low-end Hell’s Kitchen strippers after all.

Pearl stood next to her, beaming with pride and joy at who knew what as Laila mumbled something in response.

The man, who introduced himself as Patrick, Fame’s husband, came back with drinks for everybody, bringing a coffee for Laila as well. They sat down, falling into chit-chat about the shows that they saw, Laila fighting the urge to pull out her phone and start refreshing social media, the conversation not interesting her at all. That was until Miss Fame looked at Pearl sharply and said, “Gum please”, while holding out a tissue.

“Sorry, Miss.” Pearl answered apologetically, spitting out her gum like a well-trained puppy. Since when was chewing gum a crime?

“You’re forgiven, but I hope it won’t happen again.”

Before Laila could wonder whatever these people were on, Violet appeared out of nowhere, standing behind Miss Fame.

“I’m sorry miss, but the jet is ready for boarding.”

“Excellent!” Fame stood up, Violet automatically taking a step back, everyone else standing to attention now that Fame was on the move. “Do you have my sleeping pills?”

“Yes, Miss, everything has been arranged just how you like it.”

“Good.” Fame looked at Laila, and Laila could swear the woman needed a moment to remember who she was. “That’s all.


	25. Chapter 25

Bianca opened the door to her apartment, sighing with relief as she stepped out of her shoes and onto the plush area rug. The doorman wheeled her luggage in, bringing it down the hall to her bedroom. “Thanks, Carson!” she called after him.

“B? Is that you?!” Courtney’s door opened and she came flying down the hall, the dogs at her heels.

“Hey! How have you–” Bianca grinned at her, getting cut off as Courtney flung herself into her arms. “…been?”

Courtney buried her face in Bianca’s neck as she hugged her tightly. Bianca was filled with self-loathing - 3 weeks in Europe, many nights which were spent in bed with a Swedish model, and then there was the junior copywriter from French Vogue, and…fuck. She stroked Courtney’s back, rocking her, inhaling the scent of her hair, like mint and grapefruit. Her eyes fell closed, only opening when she heard Carson quietly clearing his throat.

“Uh…I’m sorry, Miss Del Rio…I just…” he awkwardly motioned towards the door. 

Bianca nodded. “Sorry, Carson, thank you again.” She stepped aside to let him pass, Courtney still clinging to her desperately. After the door closed softly behind him, she kissed the top of Courtney’s head and tilted her chin up.

“B,” Courtney whispered, “I missed you so much, I–” Her breath hitched. How could she explain this incurable longing?

“Me too, baby.” Bianca touched her cheek, staring into her wide green eyes, which were soft and yet unreadable. She seemed almost anxious, but happy, and Bianca didn’t want to push her too hard. The dogs were yapping like crazy, and Bianca finally broke eye contact to bend down and pet them. 

“Um, so how was Europe?” Courtney chewed nervously on her fingers.

“Well, the collections were a lot more inspired than the fall was, so that was exciting. But you know…a lot of travel, a lot of parties with the same pretentious assholes…I’m very glad to be home.”

“I’m glad you’re home too,” Courtney looked down at her, smiling shyly. “Sorry for tackling you like that.”

“It’s quite alright.” Bianca stood back up. “So…how about you? How’s the music going?” Bianca walked to her wine closet and pulled out a bottle of Chardonnay, pouring 2 glasses.

Courtney accepted a glass from her, allowed her fingers to graze Bianca’s briefly. “It’s awesome! Lucian is so amazing, he’s been working with me and we’ve been playing around, working on some demos, and he thinks we may be ready to get into the recording studio for real within a month! And I’m taking 3 dance classes, and he set me up with this great voice teacher, Michelle!”

Bianca smiled. She knew about the voice teacher. Lucian had sent her the bill. “Oh yeah? That’s great, baby.”

Courtney beamed at her, sitting on the table. “So what do you want for dinner? I have a bunch of Thai food from yesterday that was SO good, or I can order something else–”

“Thai sounds perfect. And don’t judge me, but I really think I need a good dose of American reality TV right now.”

Courtney laughed. “Sure! Do you wanna change? I can heat up the food.”

Bianca nodded and headed for her bedroom, shoes in hand. She turned back around and with a light warning tone, said, “And Courtney…if you tell Adore that I watch the Kardashians, I’ll fucking end you.”

“My lips are sealed,” Courtney promised, eyes sparkling.

***  
Halfway through the first episode, Bianca curled up on the couch with her head in Courtney’s lap.

Courtney looked down to tell her something funny she remembered, only to find her fast asleep. Courtney fixed the blanket so that it was covering her, and, with a stomach full of butterflies, ran a hand gently through Bianca’s thick, glossy hair. She tried to breathe evenly, tried not to move, surer than ever that she was exactly where she was meant to be, terrified that she would somehow destroy it. She leaned forward and gently brushed her lips against Bianca’s smooth cheek, inhaling her fragrance.

Bianca stirred, let out a soft sigh, and Courtney froze. Then, as her breathing slowly returned to normal, she laid her head down on the side of the sofa and let herself relax into sleep, hand still buried in Bianca’s hair.

***  
Sutan was walking down the hall, the sound of the TV running in the living room, the whistle of a kettle from the kitchen so different from his own apartment, his place more museum than a home, but he had never really cared enough to change it. They had all arrived at the same time, but Sutan had chosen to go home with Violet instead of jumping in a cab to go his place with Raja and Raven. Laila and Pearl had gone to the apartment as well, Laila overjoyed to see her cat that Katya was taking care of again, Katya giving kisses to everyone including Sutan.

Sutan opened the door to Violet’s room, his hair still slightly damp from his shower, the fact that he was wearing a nightshirt and sleep pants still a little weird. He had thought about it in the bathroom, and he couldn’t remember the last time he had willingly stayed over at a girl’s place before Violet, unless it was for a booty call.

“Hey babe.”

“Hi.”

Violet’s room was small, there was no way around it, her bed, her desk and her arm chair only leaving enough floor space to get dressed since she had more clothes and craft tools tucked away than any living human being should share space with, all the furniture in the room from Ikea. Sutan sat down in her bed, kicking off the slippers Trixie had let him borrow before he got under the covers next to Violet who was on her computer. He liked staying with Violet, her room and her roommates making him feel like he was back in college, but a larger part of him wanted her to have better, wanted her to have everything she could possibly need.

“You like Shane and Betty, right?”

Sutan looked up at Violet, a smile on his face. He had only really hung out with the couple once when Violet had dragged him to that jazz show out in Brooklyn and they had briefly spoken at the Galactica party, but he wasn’t sure about whether or not he liked them.

Shane was a good guy, pleasant and fun to be around, Betty, however, was a little intense, but the stories Violet told about her, the shy joy and the gentle happiness that radiated from her whenever she talked about Betty more than made up for the weirdness.

“Sure.”

“And you like Annie Ross too, right?”

“What are you planning?” Sutan sat up, no longer sleepy as he sensed that Violet was truly up to something, not just making conversation before bedtime.

“Nothing…”

“Violet.”

“Fine, I’m trying to get tickets to this concert but they’re super expensive and I can’t decide between space C and D…”

“Why are you looking at concert tickets?” Sutan kissed Violet’s shoulder before he grabbed his glasses from her nightstand, actually looking at her computer.

“I want to ask Shane and Betty if they want to go on a double date with us, and you mentioned that you liked Annie Ross and I figured that maybe Shane did too so I texted him and I don’t think he caught on… I just really want to like… Surprise them, but also not come on too strong… I just want it all to be perfect.”

Sutan raised an eyebrow, thinking to himself that now probably wasn’t a good time to remind Violet that Betty had broken her leg on purpose a mere five months earlier. “You want us to double date?”

“Yes, no, or… Yes, yes I do, but not just any old couple, I want to double date them, I mean…” Violet looked at Sutan, a slightly worried expression on her face. “You have your friends and I have mine and I like hanging out with Raja and Raven.” Sutan smiled, not able to take Violet completely seriously since he knew how deeply scared she still was of his sister. “No, seriously I do! But I also want us to have like… Our friends, and I really think Betty and Shane would be good for that…”

“Get whatever you want.”

“What?”

“Get whatever tickets you want, my treat.”

“Are you serious?” Violet looked genuinely surprised, and Sutan couldn’t help but smile at how cute she was.

“This seems important to you, so sure, when are we going?”

“Next Thursday, are you sure, like, really sure, that we’re doing this? Do you really want to do this?”

“I’m sure and yes, I’d love to do this.”

“I have no idea what I ever did to deserve someone like you… Thanks.” Violet leaned in, their lips meeting in a soft kiss and Sutan knew that no matter how much Violet thought the opposite, he was truly the lucky one.

***

Bianca’s eyes fluttered open in the wee hours of the morning. She realized that she was still sleeping in Courtney’s lap, a hand wedged underneath the warmth of her thighs, apparently incapable of sticking to the boundaries she’d laid out in her head. Maybe she needed stricter rules. No touching. At all. Unless Courtney initiated it. If anything ever happened between them, she didn’t want there to be any doubt, especially in her own mind, over whether Courtney truly wanted it or not. No games, no persuasion, no seduction. 

She sat up, rubbing her eyes, and Courtney curled into a tighter ball, hugging a throw pillow to her chest. She shook out the blanket and covered her, carefully tucking her in, then got up, taking the empty containers into the kitchen and dumping them in the trash, placing the silverware and glasses in the sink. She crept back to her room, glancing at Courtney’s peaceful face as she slept, resisting the urge to press a kiss to her forehead.

***  
Shane leaned against Betty’s desk, his face decorated with his cutest apologetic smile and Betty prepared herself for bad news that was about to come. “Soooo, I got you five yards of that lace.”

“But I need six and a half!” She inhaled sharply, unhappy, grabbing for the material he brought and letting it spill through her hands.

“Tough life, kitty, you’re getting five because that’s how much we have left. I think Alexis has some, though, why don’t you try with her?”

“Oh, I will, trust me.”

“No bullying allowed, though! Or I’m not making dinner for a week.”

Betty rolled her eyes, but nodded, Shane seemingly relieved that it all went relatively well, both their heads turning to the department door as somebody’s loud arrival attracted their attention.

A woman walked into design, dressed sloppily in comfortable clothes, messy blond hair in a bun, carrying a tray of what looked like cake, greeting everybody loudly and enthusiastically. Betty was almost ready to judge her until she got a decent view of her face; the woman was Trixie’s fiancée Katya, a tight sweater accentuating her round stomach. She was obviously pregnant, Betty immediately looking for the mythical glow that pregnant ladies were supposed to have, but she couldn’t really see anything because Trixie ran out of his office like it was on fire, grabbed Katya into his arms and lifted her off the ground, spinning her around, the woman laughing with unabashed joy.

So that was the fuel that made Trixie the positive person he was. That was interesting.

“Shane, Betty! Just who I wanted to talk to. Step into my office, come on.” Trixie asked, beckoning them to follow, Katya holding onto his arm, her teeth blindingly white as she smiled.

Betty looked at Shane, finding him as confused as she was, but he shrugged, lacing their fingers together. “Come on. We’re not in trouble, or are we?”

“Not that I know of.”

The door to Trixie’s office stood wide open, Trixie already in his chair, Katya right behind him, a plate full of cheesecake in the middle of the desk. Shane pulled out a chair for Betty, waiting until she sat down before sitting himself.

“You have to try the cheesecake, guys, it’s a traditional Russian recipe. I have been baking nonstop for the past three evenings.”

Betty didn’t even make a move, the situation too weird and stressful for her to relax, but she saw Shane reaching out for a piece and stuffing into his mouth. The room was quiet for a moment before he could speak, “It’s delicious, Katya, wow. You have to give me the recipe sometime.”

“Sure! I can write it down for you right now!”

Betty looked at Trixie pointedly, a silent question in her eyes, hoping that he’d notice the absurdity of the entire situation as well. Trixie cleared his throat, straightening himself in his chair.

“Right. I know you’re wondering why I called you guys here. So, as you might have noticed, my fiancée is pregnant. And yes, Betty, don’t look at me like that, Fame knows. I asked you here because I want to take leave for at least 6 months to be with our child after he’s born, and I need a replacement while I’m gone.”

“A replacement?” Finally, Betty had a sinking feeling as to what the fuck was happening, and she wasn’t liking any of it. Shane grabbed her hand beneath the desk.

“Yes. I would be leaving in the beginning for summer. Obviously the first person I thought of was you, Shane.”

Betty could swear she was able to her the clock ticking before Shane spoke.

“Me? Seriously? Are you sure you got the right person?” He laughed nervously, Betty feeling his body stiffen. Katya never stopped smiling from behind Trixie’s arm, biting into another piece of cake.

“Of course. You’re one of the senior employees. You’re hardworking, kind, you can make tough calls, everybody knows and respects you. I totally and fully believe in you.”

“Wow, Trixie, I’m - I’m very flattered. I don’t even know what to say.”

Not giving herself any room to panic, Betty made a decision in her usual fashion: in the spur of the moment, letting her instinct take over as she interrupted, “He wants to say thank you, but he’s turning it down.”

Everybody stared at her, Trixie frowning, Katya’s mouth hanging open, Shane breathing with relief. Betty knew he couldn’t say no and would never be able to refuse by himself, so she decided to step in, convinced that being a boss would drive Shane to the edge of sanity. She inflicted minor damage for the greater good.

“Betty, I would appreciate if Shane answered by himself”, suggested Trixie.

“No, Trixie, she’s actually right.” Shane let go of Betty’s hand, giving her a quick stroke on the knee that seemed like a silent thank you. “I can’t take the offer, as much as it flatters me that you thought of me, I can’t. Can we maybe - can we talk alone for a minute? Sorry, ladies.”

“It’s okay!” Katya grabbed the cake platter, standing up, grinning at Betty. “Betty and I can wait outside, right?”

“We can.” Betty stood up, smoothing her skirt, sending Shane a smile to assure him he can do it, leaving after Katya and locking the door to the office. The other woman was already waiting, having sat on top of the nearest empty desk, letting her feet dangle in the air.

“Eat the cake, Betty.” Katya shoved a small party plate with cheesecake into Betty’s hands as soon as Betty came close enough. “Have we ever been properly introduced? I’m Katya Zamolodchikova.”

“Betty Ruhren.” They shook hands, Betty suddenly remembering Violet telling her she’d get along with Katya. Now, she could kind of understand why: it was hard not to get along with Katya, as she seemed to accept everybody with open arms, treating them as friends before even getting to know them.

“It’s a very good cheesecake”, said Betty after eating a piece, smiling at the blonde.

“Thank you so much! Are you married to Shane?”

“No, not really, but we’ve been together for a while.”

“Why can’t he take the job?” Katya went straight for the punch. For a few seconds Betty remained silent, considering if she should tell the truth, but the woman seemed trustworthy enough and she was, after all, her boss’s fiancée.

“He’s got anxiety issues. Trust me, he would probably do well as temp boss, I know he would, but at the cost of driving himself, and me too, most likely, to the edge of the fucking cliff. It would be a disaster.”

“Ooooh.” Katya’s expression got serious like a light switched off. “I know what you mean better than you can imagine. That’s for the best, then, probably.” Katya tapped Betty’s shoulder.

“I hope Trixie finds somebody else.”

“Don’t worry about it! More cake?”

“Thank you. So, how far along are you?” Betty asked, deciding it wouldn’t hurt to make some small talk with Katya.

“Five months. And I just realized I’m pregnant one month ago, can you believe it?”

“Seriously?” Katya’s baby bump was clearly visible, so unless it grew to that size during a month, the situation was kind of absurd.

“Yeah, I work as a public school teacher and I just always think about something else. So many things were going on I forgot to pay attention to my body. Damn, pregnancy is crazy. I just thought I was getting fat!”

Betty couldn’t help but laugh, Katya thankfully joining her. “Don’t worry, happens to the best of us.”

“Well, I’m so happy I got the chance to meet you, Betty, and I can’t wait to get to know you more.”

 

***

“Hey Katya, are you busy?”

  
“No, why?”  
  
Katya looked up from the blanket she was knitting, a smile on her face since Violet had come into her craft room, which usually meant the girl wanted to hang out.  
  
“Are you knitting? Can I join? I’m working on a scarf for April from design that I’d like to get done before the snow is completely gone.”  
  
“Yes, it’s for when the baby arrives. We’ve been thinking about naming him Ivan, or Sasha or Misha or Nikita.”  
  
“Really?” Violet sat down in the chair next to Katya. “Those are some cute name, very Russian.” Violet smiled, not really sure how she felt about it. Wait, when you decide on the name, let me know and I’ll embroider it onto the blanket. “  
  
"Really? That would be amazing! Thank you Vivi.”  
  
“Don’t call me that.” The girls giggled, Katya clearly enjoying having time with her friend again.  
  
“Oh, and before I forget. I got us some doughnuts, Trixie told me you were really craving the raspberry ones from Dunkin and I figured you deserved a treat after taking all of this change and… Well, I’m really proud of you.” Violet pulled a box of doughnuts out from the paper bag she had brought with her.  
  
“Really? Are you kidding me! I could kill for a raspberry crust right now!”  
  
Violet laughed, handing the box to Katya. “Please don’t kill me, you can have the cakes.”  
  
Katya didn’t answer, her mouth already stuffed with the fried dough.  
  
“I missed you.”  
  
“I missed you too.”

***

Stepping out of the shower and up to the mirror, Courtney examined herself critically. With no job, she was working out for 2 hours a day, plus dance classes, and it showed. She simpered at her reflection, practicing her bedroom eyes. She blew herself a sultry kiss. And then giggled. A little narcissism never hurt anyone, right? Well, except that one dude who drowned in the river, but he was a dickhead.

Courtney slipped into a pair of shorts and a soft t-shirt, then carefully dried her hair and skipped down the hall. Bianca would be home soon. Courtney decided to make them some dinner.

***

Bianca arrived home to find Courtney sprawled on the couch, writing in a notebook, the coffee table set with a giant tray of kale chips, glasses, straws, and a blender full of some kind of banana concoction.

Bianca took off her shoes and walked over to the couch. “Ohhh, honey, you cooked!” she said, sitting down with a sigh.

“Sort of. I’m not really very good in the kitchen. But it’s not bad.”

“Yeah, well, pour some rum in mine.”

Courtney laughed as she poured them both smoothies. “Aww, did you have a rough day?” She held Bianca’s glass out to her, bending the straw and placing it in her mouth.

Bianca started to tell her about the disastrous meeting where she totally lost her shit, and then noticed Courtney, really noticed her, watching her intently. She smelled like honeysuckle and knelt beside her on the sofa, a hand tentatively on Bianca’s thigh. Bianca cleared her throat. “I mean, you know…just office crap.”

Courtney nodded, fingers nervously twirling her hair.

“How was your day?”

“Pretty good. I wrote some lyrics and added a verse to one of my songs, and took a street jazz class at BDC, and uh…” She could feel Bianca’s eyes on her, and she suddenly forgot what she was talking about. All she saw was Bianca, and her eyes, and felt that burning, stronger than ever before. “Um…”

Bianca kept watching her, determined not to make the first move, though her fingers itched.

“I…uh…” Courtney inched closer to Bianca on the couch. Her heart raced and she felt almost dizzy.

Bianca took another sip of her drink, and then set it down carefully on a coaster. She turned back towards Courtney, who leaned in timidly and kissed her softly on the mouth. Bianca had to sit on her hands to stop from grabbing her and throwing her down. Courtney broke the kiss, straightened up, and then, without saying a word, slipped her shirt over her head.

Sweet Mary mother of Christ. Bianca’s eyes swept slowly up her body…her narrow hips, flat stomach, her small, perky breasts with delicate pink nipples, hard and pushing forward. Up to her perfect, angelic face. Bianca looked into her green eyes, shining and naughty, and couldn’t help the whimper that escaped her lips.

Courtney’s mouth turned up into a soft smile, empowered by how clearly turned on Bianca was. She slowly lowered the zipper on her dress, and Bianca wriggled slightly, letting Courtney take it all the way off, revealing her expensive and mismatched lingerie, silky smooth to the touch, as Courtney was discovering. Courtney crawled closer, into her lap. Bianca closed her eyes and felt tentative hands slide down from her cheeks to her neck, tracing her collarbone down, and finally, slowly caressing her full breasts. As fingers brushed against her nipples, waking them up, Bianca opened her eyes, shivers running through her body. Courtney licked her lips, sliding her hands back up and wrapping her arms around her neck, kissing her again, more forcefully this time, exploring Bianca’s mouth with her tongue.

Bianca’s hands were now starting to tingle and she wrenched them out from under her thighs, placing them on Courtney’s hips, looking up at her with her flushed cheeks and heaving chest. “Is this really what you want?” she asked softly.

Courtney nodded. “Yes. Please, B…”

Bianca flipped her onto her back and was met with a small, delighted gasp. She hovered over her, kissed her lightly on the cheek. “Are you sure?”

“Yes, I’m sure. I’m sure. I want you. Please…”

She trembled with excitement as Bianca moved lower, slid her hands up and down Courtney’s legs, kissing the inside of her knee, her thigh.

Courtney arched her back, moaning loudly, hands running up her body to her hair, thrashing wildly. After a few moments, she noticed that Bianca wasn’t touching her anymore. She opened one eye and saw her sitting back on her heels, an exasperated expression on her face. “Why’d you stop?” Courtney tried not to make her voice whiny, and probably failed.

Bianca cleared her throat. “Listen. You can knock it off with the porn star act.”

Courtney’s mouth opened. “What?!”

“I just mean…you know, I sort of know my way around down there and you weren’t…” She trailed off at Courtney’s wounded puppy expression. “Okay, let’s try this another way. I’m not a frat boy. You don’t have to put on a show for me–”

“I wasn’t–”

“Sweetie. Please. I’ve made a lot of women come. A LOT. But even I am not so arrogant as to think it can happen like that.”

“I just thought–”

“Well stop thinking. Just relax, okay? Or…try.”

Courtney’s cheeks burned. Why did she mess everything up?

“Hey…” Bianca placed a hand against her quivering thigh. “Maybe we should do this another time–”

“No!”

Bianca raised an eyebrow. “No?”

Courtney’s body was on fire. If she didn’t get some kind of release, soon, she was pretty sure she was gonna die. “I just…please. Please keep going.”

“No more theatrics?” Bianca stroked the soft skin of her inner thigh.

Courtney shook her head, choking out, “Promise.”

“Alright,” said Bianca. “Here we go…” She began to trail her fingers up Courtney’s thighs again, drawing slow, lazy circles on her skin. She caressed her waist, pressed a kiss to Courtney’s stomach, toned but still soft somehow, and moved her mouth up towards her chest.

Courtney’s hands were buried in Bianca’s hair, and when a tongue circled her nipple, her fingers tightened, grasping the thick locks. She bucked her hips up against Bianca, whimpering, as Bianca started on her second breast, this time gently using her teeth. Courtney couldn’t take it anymore. She lifted her hips again, higher this time, and started to frantically push her shorts down.

Bianca smiled against her sweet skin. “I told you, baby, I’m not a guy. I’m gonna take my time with you, if you don’t mind…” She nibbled on her collarbone, hearing more desperate whimpers as her fingers rubbed Courtney’s nipples. She glanced over to see one of her hands gripping the cushions, knuckles white. She looked back to her face, saw her blown-out pupils and tortured expression. “Aww, honey…”

As Bianca’s plush lips explored her jaw and cheekbones, Courtney strained upwards, grinding hard against her. Taking pity on her, Bianca moved lower again, pulling her shorts the rest of the way off, then trailing her fingers lightly up her legs to her thighs, spread open before her. She touched her, soft as a feather, and Courtney gasped for breath. She lowered her face, hovering just above her, feeling the heat radiating off of her trembling body, relishing the scent of her, and then began to lick her, slowly and deliberately.

Courtney really thought she might die. She’d never been this turned on in her life. She could feel wetness between her thighs, and suddenly stiffened self-consciously, gulping for air. She tried to speak but nothing came out. “What is it, baby? Are you okay?” Bianca lifted her head, kissed her hip and looked at her.

“The…the couch…I’m…” Courtney’s words were strangled in her throat.

Bianca chuckled. “Don’t worry about the couch, sweetie. Please just relax. Okay?”

Courtney nodded, falling backwards again, eyes closed, aware of nothing but Bianca’s hands on her, her mouth back to work. She lost track of time and space, pushing up against Bianca’s face, her velvety tongue and plush lips. And then suddenly the universe exploded behind her eyes. Her entire body was wracked with ecstasy. It was thrilling and terrifying and every cell felt alive with electricity.

And just when she was about to catch her breath, she was knocked over by another wave, drowning in it, plugged into a primal source of energy. And then she knew why people yelled for god. This was god. Bianca was god. Oh, GOD.

Shaking and whimpering, she was then wrapped into a warm embrace. She clung to Bianca, clawing at her shoulders as a palm was pressed to her, helping her through another round. She could hear Bianca whispering to her, hot breath tickling her ear, but had no awareness of what she was saying. There was no sound where she was. Only white-hot light and this feeling, this magical feeling, again and again.

Bianca watched her fluttering lashes, her body bucking and writhing in her arms, slippery with sweat. This was no porn star show from before. This was the real thing. Beautiful and messy and hot and bordering on painful. Bianca buried her face in Courtney’s neck, sucking on her pulse point, hand covered in her slick release as she went limp.

Courtney’s eyes opened slowly. Her body still trembled slightly. She looked up at Bianca, eyes liquid.

“Hi,” Bianca said to her, with a flash of dimples, holding her close.

Courtney nodded and pressed her face against Bianca’s chest, slightly embarrassed. What the fuck just happened to her?

“Are you…are you okay, love?” Bianca inhaled the sweet scent of her hair.

Courtney opened her mouth but no sound came out, just a soft sigh, breath hitching.

Bianca tilted her chin up, kissed her sweaty temples and the corners of her mouth.

Finally finding some words, Courtney stammered out, “B, that was…oh god…I never…”

Bianca looked down at her again, putting the puzzle pieces together. “Baby…was that the first time you ever–”

Courtney blushed. “I don’t…I mean, I guess so. Yes.” She covered her face with her hands. “I mean, I thought I’d had plenty of…”

“Orgasms?” Bianca tried not to laugh. She was so fucking cute.

Courtney nodded, peeking through her fingers. “Yeah, but that…this…was…holy fuck.”

Bianca’s hand found her again, dipping two fingers inside, causing a gasp to escape her lips as she lowered her hands from her face, looking at Bianca in shock. Bianca brought her hand back up and licked her fingers. Courtney’s eyes widened and Bianca leaned in, kissing her, swirling a tongue around her mouth, wrapping her arms around her again. Courtney’s embarrassment faded as her body responded to Bianca’s, pressing against her, hands sliding around her waist.

Bianca continued to kiss her, loving the sound of the soft little sighs she coaxed out of her. She nuzzled against her cheek, holding her impossibly close, letting her drift off to sleep.

***

COURTNEY: DUDE. I SAW GOD TONIGHT.

ADORE: lol what?

COURTNEY: Your SISTER.

ADORE: OMG

COURTNEY: Adore seriously. Her TONGUE. I still can’t see straight.

ADORE: Pun intended?

COURTNEY: LOL

ADORE: I mean first of all, EW! That’s my sister stop it! And second…

COURTNEY: Sorry

ADORE: Second, AWWWWWWWWWW!! Although you do know she’s old enough to be your mother, right? She’s more than 18 years older than you.

COURTNEY: Well, here’s the thing Adore…think about what she’s been doing for these past 18 years…

ADORE: …

COURTNEY: You know that expression “practice makes perfect”?

ADORE: LOL. Blech.

COURTNEY: I can’t stop smiling. She’s gonna think I’m insane.

ADORE: Wait are you with her NOW?

COURTNEY: hehe

ADORE: GROSS. DON’T TEXT ME FROM MY SISTER’S BED COURTNEY

COURTNEY: We’re not in her bed. We’re on the couch ;P

ADORE: OMIGOD I TAKE NAPS ON THAT COUCH

ADORE: YOU FUCKING SLUT

ADORE: Seriously maybe let’s talk when my sister isn’t elbow deep in your pussy, okay?

COURTNEY: Okay sorry, I’ll talk to you in a year or two then…

ADORE: LMAO, you whore

“Court?”

Courtney’s head snapped up from her phone and her smile spread further across her face. “Hey, B.” She dropped her phone on the rug and kissed Bianca ardently. “I thought you were sleeping.”

“Yeah, well, I woke up because a certain little minx was giggling in my arms.”

“I’m sorry!”

Bianca laughed. “No, it’s okay. One of the nicest things I ever woke up to. Who were you talking to?”

Courtney suddenly realized that this might not be cool, and sheepishly admitted, “Uh…Adore?”

Bianca pursed her lips.

“I’m sorry! I just…I realized that might be weird for you, but she’s my best friend, and–”

“It’s okay, baby. Just keep in mind that she’s got a big fucking mouth. Pretty much everything you say about me is guaranteed to be repeated to our other sisters. Possibly our brother. And our mother.”

Courtney’s eyes widened. “Well…fuck.”

Bianca laughed. “My mom’s birthday is gonna be fun this year.”

Courtney hid her face.

“So listen…this has been amazing, but what do you say we move to a real bed?”

Courtney kissed Bianca’s cheek and started to sit up. “Anything you want.”

Bianca moaned playfully. “Oh, say it again.”

Simpering at her, Courtney leaned over and whispered, “I mean, you’re the boss, right?”

Sighing, Bianca, ran a hand through her silky blonde hair. “You’re fucking swell, baby.”

 

***

“Okay, so…that’s pretty much everything in the manual. Obviously Miss Fame knows you and wants you to have this job, but she’s a little gun-shy now so she wants to have a month ‘trial period’ to make sure you are both comfortable. While that’s happening, we’ll have a temp at reception.”

“In case you need to demote me?”

“We’ll…yeah. I’m sorry.”

Roxy laughed. “No, its fine, I get it. I’m not worried though, I’m gonna rock this job.”

Violet smiled. “I know you will.”

“You can go back to design for the day, if you want. She’s at that party and I’m fine here in case she calls. I can do phones, obviously.”  
“Okay…if you’re comfortable.”

“Totally. I got you, girl. You go make some amazing couture.”

Violet smiled. “Okay, so, over the next week, I’m going to be here with you for about an hour in the morning and an hour in the afternoon or evening when she’s leaving. And then after a week or so, when you are both into the routine, I’ll go back to design full time.”

“I don’t think I’ll need a full week, but whatever you want. I pretty much know her routine.”

Violet felt relief washing over her, realizing in that moment that she really would be free of her assistant duties soon. And for good this time.

***

Courtney stirred, luxuriating in Bianca’s huge, soft bed, letting the memory foam cradle her body, looking up at the cold winter sun filtering through her bay window. She let memories from the night before flicker through her mind, happiness settling around her like a cloud.

She could hear the sounds of Bianca’s shower in the adjoining bathroom, and thought about slipping in to join her, but the bed was so soft and warm and the pillow smelled like Bianca. But then Courtney pictured the rivulets of water sliding down Bianca’s slender, voluptuous body and sat up, just as the water stopped. Courtney dragged herself slowly from the bed and walked over to lean on the door frame, catching Bianca’s eye in the mirror as she sat in front of the vanity, drying her hair. 

Bianca put down her blow dryer, pulse quickening at the sight of Courtney in the doorway, naked, a sweet little smile on her gorgeous face. She turned around. “Good morning, sunshine.”

Courtney walked forward and ran her fingers through Bianca’s damp hair. “Hey.”

“How’d you sleep?” Heart pounding, Bianca slid her hands around her hips.

“Like a baby.” Courtney touched Bianca’s cheek. “I love seeing you without any makeup. You are so beautiful.”

Bianca rolled her eyes.

“I’m serious! I think we should keep some makeup remover by the door so you can use it the second you walk in.”

Bianca grinned. “Wow, one night and you’re already dictating how my face should look?” 

Feeling bold, Courtney flashed her a sexy smile and sat down in her lap, straddling her. “Mmhmm…” She arched against her, pushing open her bathrobe, getting them both hot and bothered.

“Oh, fuck,” Bianca whispered, kissing her neck.

“When do you have to leave for work?” Courtney murmured.

“Oh, uh…I mean…I can probably…work from home today.”

“Really?!”

The delighted expression on her face was what sealed the deal for Bianca.

 “Can you hand me my phone?”

Courtney picked up her phone from the vanity and handed it over. She watched Bianca’s face as she dialed, sucking smugly on a finger.

“…Yeah, hi Joslyn…yes good morning…that’s great, and–…Joslyn! Turn on your listening ears…I’m not gonna make it into the office today. Can you let Trinity know I have to push lunch, and change all my meetings to conference calls?…Okay…Yes, fine…Yes, that’s–…Jos, honey, I trust you. Just go ahead and use your judgement…thank you. Yeah, have Dan send me the layouts to approve…Yes, fine, I’ll call you later.”

Bianca hung up, rolling her eyes, and turned her full attention to the blonde vixen in her lap. Courtney grinned at her and pressed their lips together. “We don’t have to get dressed today, right?”

“That’s up to you babydoll.”

Courtney bounced in her lap, started to get feverish and dizzy from the friction. Before things got too heated, though, she jumped up and started walking towards the bed. Bianca followed, dropping her robe on the ground. She smacked Courtney on the ass, earning a happy shriek, as the two of them climbed into bed, legs tangling together.

***

Discovery Channel was on, Shane watching Mythbusters on the edge of his seat, his open beer bottle forgotten as he was about to find out if wearing jewelry increased the chances of being struck by lightning. He cheered when the myth got busted, thinking about all the jewelry Betty was wearing on the daily.

Speaking of the devil, Betty just entered the apartment, dropping a handful of flyers from Metropolitan Museum of Art on top of their mail pile.

“Hey babe, how’s life?” she asked, clearly in a good mood, taking off her shoes and coat and quickly situating herself next to Shane on the couch, her legs over his lap.

“Excellent. I just found out you’re just as likely to be struck by lightning as any regular human being.”

“Huh?” She frowned, a smile blooming on her lips, her eyeliner starting to smudge in the outer corners of her eyes.

“Mythbusters.” Shane gestured to the TV, laying his head on Betty’s chest. “How was your day?”

“Well, Violet was being weird. You’ll never guess what she asked me.”

“Mhmm, let me try. She invited you overseas to visit her family in Europe.”

“What?! No. Wrong. Keep on guessing.” Betty was stroking up and down Shane’s naked forearm.

“Oh! I know. She proclaimed her true love for you, asked you to dump me and elope with her to Vegas.”

“No, silly. I have a feeling you’re not taking this seriously.”

“Okay, Betty, I give up then. You tell me.”

“As always, you suck at this game”, she said, Shane sticking his tongue out at her. “She asked if you and I would want to double date her and Sutan.”

“Whoooa, really? Yeah girl, sweet! Did she suggest anything in particular?” 

Shane instantly sat up straighter, the idea making him feel excited.

“No, she was too busy trying not to die of anxiety. I swear you two should start a support group. But she’s supposed to come up with something for the weekend and let us know.”

“That’s awesome! What a genius idea, it’s gonna be a blast. Is your phone vibrating?”

“Oh, yeah, sorry.” Betty scrambled off the couch to get her phone, the screen lighting up with a text from Violet. “Well, it’s Violet. She says she’s got tickets for Annie Ross on Saturday night at Metropolitan Room.”

“Are you for real? She just asked me yesterday if I like Annie Ross! That’s interesting.”

They looked at each other, realizing that they might have been tricked. Shane shrugged, smiling; Violet was one interesting, strange individual. “We’re gonna say yes, right?”

“We are. But maybe we should keep her in wait for a while, what do you think? Let her wonder.”

“No way, Betty, that would be evil! You should answer her right now!”  
“Whooops, I think my phone just died”, Betty faked a sad face, pressing the button to switch the phone off. “I’d charge it, but I have more important stuff to do first.”

“Like what?”

“I’m not sure, eating dinner? Making out with my talented boyfriend who cooked it?” She was smiling, playing with the buttons of her blouse. Shane sighed, knowing he stood no chance.

“Alright, I’m sold. Violet can wait.”

***

Violet was breathing through her nose, the heavy weight of Sutan in her mouth a feeling she was getting familiar with, his hand in her hair that was gently guiding her keeping her steady, her body shivering with delight as she moaned.

They had been watching a movie, some stupid horror comedy that Sutan had picked, but Violet hadn’t complained, her boyfriend caring so much more about movies and television than she did, his passion for fantasy and comics something he could talk about for hours. Violet sitting on the floor between Sutans leg, her fingers working on the pearls on the tests for Chads dress when she felt Sutan fidget, her man moving around like it was uncomfortable for him to sit still. Violet looked up at the screen, a smile on her face when she realized why he couldn’t keep still, her eyes following the character that had Sutan enchanted.

“You do realize that this is a children’s movie, right?”

“It’s age 14 and up, and I can’t help it.”

Violet turned around, now getting a proper look at Sutan who was watching the TV screen, his cock hard in his pants, a giggle leaving her before she gently grabbed his belt buckle, Sutan groaning helplessly, an expression of surprise on his face as he raised his hips, letting Violet work.

“Fuck, oh god, don’t stop.” Sutan moaned, his eyes squeezed shut, his grip in Violets hair tightening, his voice breathless.. “Don’t stop, don’t stop, don’t stop.” Violets mouth was so warm, so wet, her tongue velvety smooth as she pulled back, gently licking the tip of him, nearly making him cross eyed. Violets small groans of pleasure pushing him closer and closer to the edge, his hips thrusting helplessly. “Babe, saya datang, saya datang.” Sutan threw his head back as he came deep in Violets throat, his breath catching, his body shaking, his mind not even considering that he had just finished in Violets mouth for the first time in their relationship.

He came to, to Violet giggling, the girl holding the handkerchief she had taken from his pocket to her mouth as she had just spat, the sounds of laughter still bubbling out of her even if she clearly tried to hold back. Sutan smiled, his hand releasing her hair, the movie still playing in the background, his fingers running through his girlfriends locks. “What’s so funny?”

Violet was resting her head on his leg, a smug smile still on her lips, her eyes closed as she relaxed. “Oh nothing…”

Sutan rolled his eyes, his thumb and forefinger tugging on her earlobe as a soft punishment. “Violet.”

“It’s nothing, honestly.” Violet cracked open an eye, her grin going from ear to ear. “I just find it highly amusing that my darling boyfriend came so hard he spoke indonesian, all because of Michelle Pfeiffer in a black dress.”

“Hey, I think you deserve at least 20% of the credit for this, that blowjob was superb.”

“So Michelle gets the other 80?” Violet laughed, Sutans hand gently running over her face, caressing her forehead and her cheeks.

“To be fair I have been in love with her since 1992.”

Violet smiled, letting Sutan pull her up into his lap, her head resting on his shoulder.

“Want to watch the rest of the movie?”

“Do we have to rewind the parts we missed?”

“Of course.”

Violet looked at Sutan, the two soon laughing, their lips meeting in a tender kiss.

 

***

Violet carefully set her sketchbooks on the table, a notepad at the ready, pen in hand, nervously anticipating Chad’s arrival.

When the tall, statuesque woman breezed through the door, she stood up.

“Darling!” Chad exclaimed, peppering the air with kisses and sliding into her seat. “Oh, goodness, what a day I’ve had. You would think that everyone would cut our department some slack since we’ve all been away for nearly a month, but no! Emails, calls, emails, calls…by the time I took my first breath, I was already running late!”

“I’m sorry,” Violet said. “Did you want to reschedule?”

“Heavens no! I’m thrilled for the excuse to get out of there today!” Chad laughed gaily.

Violet shook Chad’s hand and almost dropped her tote bag. “Hi, hi, it’s so nice to meet you… Again, of course. We already know each other, excuse me- that was silly. I’m sorry.”

She folded her hands, nervously fingering the cuffs of her jacket while Chad chattered about how much she loved the Galactica show. “Your work reminds me a lot of a Georgina Chapman…at her best of course, not when she’s being self-indulgent.”

“Thank you.”

“Were you in Europe this month?”

“I got to Paris for a few days, just towards the end.”

“Oh, well you dodged a bullet. The weather in London was atrocious. I’m from California and I cannot handle a solid week of gray.”

“I’m sorry.” Violet shifted uncomfortably, wondering when they were gonna get to the clothes.

“Where are you from, dear?”

“Atlanta.”

“Oooh, I love Atlanta! Southerners really know how to do hospitality. My first husband was a Falcon.” She winked, and Violet smiled tightly.

“That’s nice.”

Chad looked at her for a moment, a quizzical expression on her face, and then burst out laughing.

“Okay, okay, I get it. You’re not into small talk. Listen.” She reached a hand across the table. “You are immensely talented, but in order to be truly successful, you’re going to have to get comfortable bullshitting the ‘ladies who lunch’ crowd.”

Violet blushed. “I-I’m sorry.”

Chad waved a hand. “It’s quite alright, dear.” The waiter arrived and Chad smiled at him. “Hi, Jeff. Can I get a vodka martini and kale Caesar? If that drink comes within two minutes I’ll double your tip.” She winked.

The waiter laughed and nodded and turned to Violet. “And for you, miss?”

“Can I have some water and the house salad please? No dressing. Thank you.”

Chad turned back to Violet as the waiter departed. “Now. I’m going to stop torturing you with chit chat because I’m dying to see your sketches. You ready?”

“Oh, yes, of course, I, just a second. So I know we only spoke briefly at the show, and I know I’ve been emailing with your assistant but I wasn’t quite sure what you actually wanted. I went into the Galactica archives to see what pieces you have purchased previously from us, but it didn’t give me a very clear picture, so I prepared a few different sketches…” Violet pulled out a thin binder, handing it to Chad. “The first one is, well I guess you would call it a classic Chachki, or, my instructor at Parsons used to. I wasn’t quite sure about the color palette you wanted so for now it’s a pale blue but that can change of course. The flowers are primarily on the skirt and the trail. Very classy, sophisticated and along the lines of what I did for the collection dress. There is some picture references for the type of flowers I was considering if you end up choosing this one.”

Chad nodded, face impassive, and turned the page.

“I saw some pictures of you at the Tribeca Ball last year, where you were wearing a gown similar to this and since we had so little time to discuss what you wanted, I figured it could potentially be nice for you to have an option of a more… Shall we say progressive dress? I actually–” Violet went into her purse and pulled out some feathers. “I bought a few different ones, they’re all reorderable so if there’s something you prefer that’s totally arrangeable. Do you have a preference in metals? I think you would look amazing in gold, do you prefer gold or silver? Copper? Rose gold?”

“Interesting. We can talk more about it.” What a clever girl she was, doing her research. Chad turned the page, and for a second the straight face she was holding broke as she breathed out, “Oh, this is pretty.”

“Thank you. It’s very heavily inspired by the myth of Persephone. I tried to make the pearl detailing referential to pomegranates. I included a sample for how the beading could potentially be. This dress is a little more mature, but I don’t think it’s a problem as such, the sleeves are see through for now but that can totally change. I have a few more ideas, but these are my top three. Of course if nothing speaks to you, I’m happy to move in a different direction. The sketches are yours to keep while you think it over. I already copied everything for myself and I have color charts for every dress.” She stopped talking and took a deep breath, realizing that she’d been dominating the conversation. “I’m sorry, I–what do you think?”

“I think you are remarkably, astonishingly talented.”

Violet blushed deeply. “Thank…thank you.”

“And I think something about this red one is just incredible. The only thing is…I’ve been working out a lot, and I was hoping for something sleeveless with a low back.” Chad flexed her bicep. “It’s been a long time since my body felt like this, and I want to show it off.” She chuckled.

“Well that can easily be arranged, or, I mean.” Violet pulled out a sketchbook, quickly flicking to a free page, Chad only catching peeks at other designs before she started doing a quick line drawing. “Maybe if we adjusted the neckline up a bit and removed the sleeves…and the back dipped into a scoop or a shallow v?” She turned the page around and showed Chad a revised bodice and two versions of the back. “Something like this?”

Chad shook her head in wonder. “Oh my gosh, marry me!”

Violet giggled. “Does that mean you like it?”

“Yes. Yes, although that is the understatement of the CENTURY.” She raised her martini glass to toast. “Cheers, darling. To the beginning of a long and beautiful friendship.”

***

“Scoot over, asshole,” groused Raja as she pulled some of the covers from around her brother, taking them for herself so she could cuddle up on the couch. It was a while after Fashion Week and this was the first time in weeks that she and Sutan had time for some much needed quality relaxation with each other. “My feet hurt.” Raja sighed as she laid her head on Sutan’s shoulder, whining a little over the soreness she felt.

Sutan looked over at his sister, who had her attention focused on the TV, as usual whenever they had what they called twin time, which consisted of day drinking, food, gossip and just being together, relaxing and enjoying each other’s company.

“Have you considered that it might be the high heels you insist on wearing?” Sutan asked, a flat expression on his face. He took Raja’s feet and placed them in his lap, his fingers starting to work on the sore muscles, Raja’s fingers absentmindedly scratching his scalp.

“Whatever,” Raja said with a sigh, her brother’s talented fingers working their magic on her pained feet. “As long as you keep up the foot worship,” Sutan snorted. “I will let you say whatever you want about my choice in shoes, but I will say this: Fashion Week does not call for sensible shoes.”

“But fashionable shoes aren’t comfortable,” Sutan added knowing what she would say, walking into it on purpose to entertain his sibling.

Raja laughed at her brother’s statement. “You know me so well, TanTan,” she said with a smile as she turned the tv up. Since Sutan was hosting twin time today, he had decided that they would watch a Batman movie, but since Raja was the oldest, she had got to pick which one. Sutan wasn’t that happy about it, but because of that, they ended up watching ‘The Dark Knight’. They had ordered Chinese food, pizza, ribs, the two of them washing it all down with several bottles of wine and champagne.

“How was your Fashion Week?” Raja smiled. “I saw your Instagram, I love that kimono layering you did, very brave.”

Sutan leaned his head back, his eyes closed since his sister had found the soft spot on his head that he loved getting scratched. “That’s the trick,” Sutan sighed. “You know I love living the fashion fantasy.”

“Oh yes, you were definitely feeling the floral fantasy.” Raja said with a smile as she thought back to the Fashion Week wardrobe pictures he had uploaded to his social media, Raja a little confused at the fact that Violet had not been in a single picture.

“I sent the best ones to Mani and she said we looked lovely.” She murmured into her glass, which was an empty pasta sauce jar filled with white wine, Sutan refusing her his good wine glasses since he knew she had a tendency to accidentally smash things when she got drunk.

“What can I say,” Sutan started with a grin. “Mani and Ayah did have a pretty stylish son, but they do deserve that since you can’t say the same about their daughter.” Sutan tickled the back of Raja’s knees causing her to jump.

“Shut up!” Raja squealed as she tried to wiggle out of his grasp, Sutan holding her ankles in one hand to keep her from moving away and accidentally kicking him in the face. “You’re such an ass!” She panted out trying to catch her breath, wiping tears out of her eyes.

“Awww, noooo, you know you love me, Putri!” Sutan sang.

Raja rolled her eyes, “You need to stop those lies, and we all know I’m fucking iconic. I have a PhD in fierce after all.” She said, taking another sip of wine. “So I heard about the Chanel show.”

“Oh yes,” Sutan sighed deeply. “It was an amazing show, and the girls said hello and to tell you that you’re amazing, yada yada...”

“Awww.” Raja said with a smile, teasing her brother. “But no one can replace the queen.”

“I must agree.” Sutan said as he looked at his sister. She had been his golden goose in the industry for years since she had been his first client. He stilled missed her sometimes, but that was one of the prices of modeling. The careers were intense and short, high risk, high reward and Raja had come out with one of the best result. Raja had moved on, and he had stayed behind in the world of modeling, but he loved it.

“I’m relieved and happy that Violet was there to help Raven.” Raja stood up and stretched before sitting back on the couch, curling herself around her brother.

“Yeah, about that…” Sutan started as he wrapped his hand around her ankle to toy with the two anklets she had on. “Where were you? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you not be at a show where Raven is closing or opening.”

Raja sighed deeply, "I wanted to go, I really did, but I needed to be at the Celine and Hermes shows and they were back to back on the other side of town…” She said as tugged on the hoop of her gold collar necklace. “Fame and I played ‘rock, paper, scissors’ and I lost so she got Chanel.”

“Very professional.” Sutan smiled and Raja rolled her eyes.

“Shut up.”

“I was just surprised you weren’t there to help princess Raven.”

"I know, my poor baby,” Raja started. “I’m just glad Violet was there….” She said with a content sigh. Raja was so thankful for Violet and her bottomless bag of goodies and Fashion Week essentials that had saved Raven’s reputation on more than one occasion now, the slender girl always prepared for everything.  
“Hey! I was there too!” Sutan exclaimed, indignant because he was there to help Raven as well. “It was Allison who called me about what was going on backstage”, he whined causing Raja to giggle and rub her cheek against his.

“And I appreciate your help and making sure that the threat of a meltdown was averted.” Raja said placating, before she kissed him on the cheek. [“Thank you, Anada.”]

“Yea whatever.” Sutan groused, pouting lightly. “But I saw your favorite European too.” He said as he exited out the movie as the credits started to roll.

“Ah!! You saw you darling white haired darling Karl!” Squealed Raja. It had been a while since she’s seen the older gentleman and even longer since she’s modeled for him, he was always a charmer.

“How is he doing?”

“He is well,” Sutan replied as he flipped through channels. “He is still fashion. Raven brought him over and he thanked Violet for her help before the show.”

Raja looked up at him as he spoke, “Oh wow, I remember the first time I met him, I know she was excited.” Raja said with a smile. “She probably wanted to just die but I know she won’t ever forget that experience.”

“Yeah, he even complimented her tweed Chanel suit which I doubt she’ll ever get rid of after meeting Karl.” Sutan added after Raja fed him another piece of spicy shrimp and tofu with her fingers before she fed herself as he spoke.

“Oh, what an honor,” cooed Raja. “I’m so happy for her,” she continued. “Now all of the important women in your life have met Karl Lagerfeld.” She said with a giggle.

***

“BIANCA! OH MY GOD!” Courtney raced down the hall, squealing, tearing into the kitchen and nearly stepping on the dogs, who barked hysterically. “I KNOW!!” she said to them, dancing around on the tile floor.

Bianca laughed, scooping some food into their bowls. “What’s going on, bunny?”

“B, you will never believe this! Lucian just called me and you know how we recorded that demo last week, just for practice?”

“Yeah…the Britney song, right?”

“Baby One More Time!”

“Right–”

“Well he played it for this friend of his who’s a director and she thinks it could be a video and OMIGOD B I THINK I’M ACTUALLY GONNA COVER A BRITNEY SONG! LIKE FOR REAL! He says it would be like a pre-album release, to expose me to the marketplace.” Her eyes danced with joy. “Like we’ll re-record it for real once he figures out the new arrangement and he told me this director woman talked to him for almost an hour and she wants to meet to talk about IDEAS FOR THE VIDEO!”

Bianca grinned at her. “I told you it would happen for you, baby. You just have to know the right people.”

Courtney threw her arms around Bianca, squeezing her tight. “I will never be able to thank you enough, B, this is all because of you!”

“I mean, not that I don’t want credit here, sweetie, but I think your talent and that gorgeous face have something to do with it too.”

Courtney laughed and spun around in a circle, then hopped up on the counter and held her arms out. “Maybe.”

Bianca shook her head, walking to Courtney and putting her hands on her thighs. “Wait, so…did Lucian tell you the name of this director? We do know a lot of the same people.”

“Oh…uh, it was a boy’s name. Devon? Derrick? Yeah, Derrick.”

Bianca winced.

“What? You don’t like her?”

“No, I mean, she’s actually a really good director. And totally obsessed with Britney, so…yeah…”

“But?”

Bianca looked at Courtney guiltily. “I mean…”

Courtney’s eyes widened. “B, for God’s sake, do you have to fuck EVERYONE?”

“Sorry! I have a healthy sex drive.” Bianca flashed her dimples.

Courtney shook her head and wound her fingers into Bianca’s hair. “Well…did it end well, or is she gonna hate me like that girl at the juice bar?”

Bianca laughed. “It ended fine. Neither of us had any real feelings. Don’t worry, baby.”

“Okay. Well, maybe you should come to the meeting.”

Bianca nodded. “Sure. Man, life is…so crazy sometimes.”

“How so? Because of Derrick?”

“No, just, when that video came out, I was in college. I used to watch it like…constantly. Off a VHS recording. Constantly.” She looked up at Courtney with naughty eyes. “If you know what I mean.”

Courtney giggled, pulling her in for a kiss. “Oh yeah?”

Bianca nodding, sliding her hands up under Courtney’s skirt, squeezing her ass.

Courtney broke the kiss suddenly, a puzzled expression on her face.

“What?”

“What’s a VHS?”

Bianca turned her eyes to the sky. “Lord Jesus, help me…”

Courtney burst out laughing, ruffling Bianca’s hair. “I’m kidding! I used to watch The Little Mermaid on our VCR every day.”

“Fuuuuck…” Bianca rested her head on Courtney’s chest.


	26. Chapter 26

Courtney grasped handfuls of Bianca’s hair in her fists, tugging on it and moaning as Bianca sucked mercilessly on her clit. Her mind was completely blank, every cell vibrating with pleasure.

Bianca wrapped her arms around her thighs, holding them open, listening to the musical sounds of her desperate cries. She eased off on the pressure, started licking her softly, and Courtney arched against her, body wracked with spasms.

“B…oh FUCK, yes,” Courtney moaned.

Bianca hummed against her, causing another urgent cry. She moved her mouth to Courtney’s thigh, pressing kisses against her and shifting to stroke her with a finger, slipping inside her. Bianca watched her face carefully, and when she hit her g-spot, Courtney choked back another scream.   
Lowering her head back to suck on her clit gently, Bianca stroked her from the inside. Courtney thrashed beneath her, bucking wildly, moans getting higher and higher. Bianca sucked harder, moved her finger faster, and when Courtney came one final time, her toes were curled and her hips were thrusting forward, hands gripping the slats of the headboard.

With one last moan and a shudder that rocked her from her head to her feet, her body went as limp as a ragdoll. Bianca kissed her all the way up her torso, gathering her into her arms and brushing their lips together.

Still gasping for breath, Courtney panted out, “Sorry.”

“Sorry for what, honey?”

“I…think I got a little…porn star-ish that time.”

Bianca chuckled. “I don’t have a problem with that when it’s REAL. It’s not like my bedroom has a noise ordinance.”

Courtney smiled sleepily. “Awww, that’s too bad. I was hoping to break some rules today.”

“Naughty baby.” Bianca bit her gently on the shoulder.

Snuggling tight against her, Courtney murmured. “I’m so happy, Bianca. I’ve never been this happy, ever, in my life.”

“I’m gonna make it my mission to keep you this happy forever,” slipped from Bianca’s mouth before she knew what she was saying. /Fuck. Too much, asshole. Reel it the fuck in. You’re gonna terrify her./

But Courtney lifted her head and looked at Bianca, eyes lit up with joy. “I wanna make you happy, too, B.”

“You already have, baby.” Bianca stroked her cheeks.

“No, I mean…” Courtney rolled over on top of her. “I mean I want to…um…” She bit her lip shyly, lowering her eyes.

Bianca kissed her lightly. “Not necessary, honey.”

Courtney sucked on Bianca’s pulse point, brushing her fingers down over her nipples. Bianca shivered. “But I want to, B.”

“I’m…usually more of a giver than a receiver, Court. In bed at least.”

Courtney looked at her with big eyes. “But why?”

“I…I don’t know, I just...” She closed her eyes as Courtney’s fingers slid lower. Millimeters from her clit. She swallowed.

Moving her hot mouth down Bianca’s body, Courtney licked her nipples, then sucked on one, rubbing a hand against her. Bianca inhaled sharply.

“Baby…” Bianca shifted as Courtney continued to move lower. “You really don’t have to–oh, God…”

Courtney lifted her head, smirking impishly at her. “Please, B? Please…” She now sat between her legs, hands resting lightly on her thighs.

Was this precious angel actually pleading to eat her out? Bianca shook her head in disbelief.

Courtney nibbled on the soft skin of her inner thigh, working higher. She pressed a cheek against her. “Please, I want to taste you.”

Her hot breath felt so good against Bianca’s skin. She caved. Of course. “Okay,” she whispered, sinking back into the pillows.

She felt a kiss, just above her core, and then heard a soft voice, saying, “What…what do I do?”

Bianca laughed and sat up, propping herself up with pillows. She caressed Courtney’s face with her hands, then guided her down gently, leading her right to her clit. “It’s not rocket science, baby. Just lick me…Try to keep your tongue soft…that’s right, just like that.” Her eyes closed briefly. It been so long since anything but a toy or her own hand had touched her. She’d almost forgotten how good it felt.

She looked down at Courtney, watching her face, flinging a leg over her shoulder. What she lacked in experience, she was certainly making up for with enthusiasm. Bianca stroked her hair. Courtney lifted her head. “Is this okay?” she asked timidly.

Bianca nodded. “You’re doing great, baby, keep…oh…keep going.” She ran her hand gently through Courtney’s blonde hair, gathering the long strands in her fingers. “A little higher, just…oh, fuck.” Her eyes fluttered closed again.

As Bianca’s breathing grew faster, Courtney’s confidence rose. She started sucking on her clit, and Bianca’s hips bucked upwards. She paused and kissed her, pressing her lips against her, wondering if she could pull off that humming thing that Bianca had done to her earlier.

Straining a little, Bianca began to whimper, aching for more friction. Bit by bit, starting to lose control, she gave herself over.

“Mmmmmmmmm,” Courtney moaned against her.

Bianca gasped and pressed down on the back of her head, bucking up again. “FUCK, baby…”

Courtney smiled, and went back to licking her, trying out different speeds and strokes of her tongue. Swirling elicited a low groan, and flicking made her pant, while sucking brought on whimpers, hands gripping her hair.

She could feel herself on the edge, and Courtney’s mouth alternating between hard and soft was keeping her there, whimpering and moaning. She picked up a pillow and mashed it down over her face, muffling the sounds of her moans, only to have it wrenched away. She looked down at Courtney, surprised.

“I wanna hear you,” she said, sliding her hands up Bianca’s body, fingering her nipples.

With no argument, Bianca nodded and threw back her head. Courtney’s mouth was back against her and she didn’t hold back any more. She let the last modicum of control slip away and gave herself over to pleasure, moaning and arching and letting the waves wash over her, carry her away, drive her deeper into ecstasy.

When her body finally stilled, Courtney was still licking her, tongue soft again. She reached down for her.

“Baby…”

Courtney looked up at her, a smug, self-satisfied grin on her face, and crawled into her open arms.

“Well someone’s proud of herself.”

“Mmm, kinda, yeah.” Courtney giggled, her accent curling around the words.

“I’m pretty proud of you, too. You went from baby lesbian to advance very rapidly.” Bianca kissed the top of her head.

“I’m still your baby, though, right?” Courtney batted her eyelashes.

“Always.”

“Mmmm.” Courtney closed her eyes, cuddling against Bianca’s warm body, drifting off into a contented sleep.

***

“Violet! Take a selfie with me!”

“Are you going to leave me alone if I do it?”

Violet looked up from the lipstick swatches on her hand and over at Raven who was standing in front of a mirror, her hand and arm filled with swatches as well. The two girls had met up for an early dinner that had turned into a small shopping trip to Sephora when Violet had mentioned she was almost out of eyeliner.

“Yeeeeeeeees.” Raven rolled her eyes, almost stomping her foot at Violet’s resistance. “Now come ooooon.”

“Are you going to keep my face out of it?” Violet knew she was bargaining, but she had to know before she agreed to Raven’s request, her hesitation around Sutan almost gone since the man had fully accepted her wish not to be in photos that were publically available whenever she could help it.

“Sure, whatever, I don’t care, just get over here!”

Raven smiled, clearly only focused on her own thing and the fact that she wanted a photo. Violet sighed and wiped off her hand before she walked to the other girls side, dutifully posing for Ravens picture with an arm around her waist.

“Done! See, that wasn’t so bad!” Raven smiled, quickly throwing a filter on the pictures and cropping them up while Violet went back to the racks of makeup.

“At Sephora, getting the scoop on the new Bobbi Brown with… With…” Raven bit her lip, realizing something. “Hey Vivi, what’s your Instagram? I don’t think I’m following you.”

“Oh, I don’t have one, and seriously, stop calling me Vivi.”

“You don’t have an Instagram?!”

***

ADORE: Hey, how’s it going?  
  
COURTNEY: I ate pussy today.  
  
ADORE: LOL I’m so proud. Were you any good?  
  
COURTNEY: Ask B. ;)

***

“Raven, no for the millionth time. I’m not going to make an Instagram account. I said it before, and I’m going to say it again. No.” Violet smiled at the barista at Starbucks, ignoring Raven as she accepted her coffee and the two girls started to look for a table. “It’s a waste of time, time that I don’t have.”

“How can you say that, you work in fashion, Violet! Fashion!” Raven looked distressed, like Violet’s lack of online presence was genuinely upsetting her. “Everything happens online!”

“Which is why I’m friends with Pearl.” Violet sat down, quickly checking her phone to see if anyone had messaged her. “I do keep up, it just never interested me-”

“No, this is unacceptable.” Raven reached over the table and snatched Violet’s phone from her hand. “I’m making you an account, right now.”

“Raven!” Violet quickly put her hand over her mouth, looking around to see if anyone had noticed the fact that she had just yelled in public; thankfully, no one had looked. Violet tried to grab Raven’s hand, the other woman easily dodging her. “Raven, give me my phone.”

“No.”

“Rave, I’m serious.”

“Do you want to be VioletChachki or something else? I think your full name would be best”

“Raven, stop it, you are not putting my name out there-”

“VioletChachki it is then!” Raven smiled brightly, a sip of her coffee. “Uh, link with Facebook, don’t mind if I do.” Raven’s finger hoovered over the Facebook button. “How do you deal with this screen? The 6S is so ridiculously small, you should really look into getting an upgrade.”

Violet felt like she was going to throw up, her heart pounding a million miles a minute.

“Raven, I’m begging you, don’t connect it to my Facebook please, it’s filled with my racist aunts and homophobic uncles, please don’t do this. If they find out I’m dating a man who is anything but as white as snow they are going to disown me even more, Raven, if you tap connect we are no longer friends.”

Raven sighed. “Fine, no Facebook then, but you are getting an Instagram.”

Violet nodded, no fight left in her body after she got her will about Facebook.

***

ADORE: Heard bae went downtown.  
  
BIANCA: BACK OFF ADORE!   
  
ADORE: LMAO, calm down  
  
BIANCA: Stay out of my goddamn sex life  
  
ADORE: DON’T FUCK MY FRIENDS  
  
BIANCA: …Call it even?  
  
ADORE: ok lol

***

Pearl’s bedsheets were fresh and spotlessly clean each and every time Laila visited, but right now, they were heavily drench with Pearl’s perfume, a wildly expensive fragrance called Fracas by Robert Piguet, Laila’s body balm and the smell of sex. Laila rolled around, hoping the scent would cling to her body forever, still coming down from an orgasmic high; she could her Pearl brush her teeth in the adjacent bathroom.

Pearl left the window open as they fucked, letting the cold and snow into the room, Laila’s body freaking out as it tried to shiver and melt all at the same time, making all of the sensations even more intense. Laila still didn’t know what it was exactly, but something made every experience with Pearl memorable. Maybe it was the way she always seemed to care about Laila’s pleasure more than her own. Maybe it was the way that she has slowly been learning to remember about herself, too, and the sight of her beautiful face when she was losing it pushed Laila closer and closer to the edge every time.

The sheets got wrapped around Laila like a tight burrito, the girl looking to the floor to find her phone. She couldn’t locate it, so she reached under the bed, accidentally pulling on a strap of a bag, causing it to fall over. The contents of the bag spilled onto the floor and Laila was stunned, for a second not having any idea what was going on. There were like fifteen powerbars, along with various bags of snacks that Laila has been buying Pearl for the past few months, always picking up an extra whenever she got something for herself. She figured she could do at least that to thank her girlfriend for all the things she did for her; knowing Pearl never even ate the stupid things and just stuffed them in a bag under her bed like a dirty secret felt like a stab in the back.

Why did Pearl do that? How could she? Laila didn’t understand. She sat up, rolling the burrito sheets off her, throwing the powerbars on top of the bed, Pearl walking of the bathroom wrapped in a bathrobe and looking at Laila in surprise, giving Laila a deja vu.

“What the fuck are all these, Pearl?”

“What - these? Powerbars?”

“I can see that, idiot. These are probably all the powerbars I ever gave you, ever. Why, Pearl, why?”

“I was… saving them?” Pearl stood halfway through the bathroom and Laila, raking her fingers through her hair.

“For what, a zombie apocalypse?!”

“Oh, come on, Laila. Don’t be mad. I just put some of them away and then forgot. No big deal, right?” Laila could hear the carelessness in Pearl’s voice already, and it made her even angrier, but she knew she wasn’t going to accomplish anything.

“Some of them. Yeah, sure.” Laila picked up her underwear from the floor, quickly pulling on her underpants and a t-shirt before she felt Pearl grab her arm to stop her.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m going home.” She wasn’t going to sleep with a traitor, not tonight, not when Pearl just made her feel absolutely worthless.

“Please don’t.” Pearl wrapped her arms around Laila, burying her face in her hair and just standing there, Laila feeling every inch of her body melting against the other girl. She wanted to be mad, she really wanted to, she should, and Pearl should know that. “Don’t leave, don’t, I’m sorry, we can eat the powerbars together if you want to? I can eat, like, ten right now. Seriously. Do you want to time me?”

Laila shook her head and sighed. “Just go to sleep, alright?”

“But you’re not gonna leave?” Pearl kept holding onto Laila’s wrist, Laila’s breath stopping in her throat when she saw tears appear in the blonde’s eyes. Has Pearl ever cried before?

“No. Just fucking go to bed. And don’t try anything. I’m very, very pissed right now.”

“I’m sorry.”

Pearl turned off the light while Laila threw the powerbars into the bag again and tossed it into the corner of the room. They climbed into bed, Pearl patiently waiting for Laila to settle down before she laid her head on the pillow, finding a comfortable position, Laila turning her back to her. She closed her eyes, thinking about how quickly the evening went from a ten to minus one hundred, trying to breathe evenly, but she knew she wasn’t sleepy at all, preparing herself for a bad time.

***

The morning lights were harsh when Laila woke up, Pearl’s hair tickling her in the nose and poking her in the eye. The girl’s long legs were wrapped around Laila’s, her hand fisted in her cotton shirt. Even though they went to sleep angry, their sleeping selves seemed to ignore the fact.

Pearl’s eyes were closed, face peaceful, small breaths escaping her mouth and Laila felt a twist in her guts. She ran a hand over Pearl’s side, gently, not to wake the other girl, and her hand stopped at the hipbone, poking out.

/Of course she didn’t eat the stupid powerbars. I bought the wrong things, my girlfriend is a former model, and of course she doesn’t eat the cheap shit I like. Why am I always stupid?/

Pearl opened her eyes slowly, looking at Laila from beneath her long eyelashes, grabbing for Laila’s hand on her hipbone. Laila felt her anger evaporate completely.

“Babe?” whined Pearl pointlessly, Laila scooting closer to kiss her forehead, deciding to forget the fight.

“It’s okay, I’m here.”

***

Katya was up tidying up her classroom, one hand resting on her stomach as she shuffled around, wiping the whiteboard down, and moving the chairs around, getting the classroom ready for the rest of the day. So far they had played music, learned about the letter P and about polar bears as well.

Mrs. Bates, the math teacher for the older classes had offered to take Katya’s kids out for recess, since she couldn’t run around and play with them like she used to. Katya was a little sad that she hadn’t built any good snowmen so far, but her bump was getting in the way, making it hard to bend over, and she was constantly tired.

Katya looked over the classroom, nodding with a smile on her face before she made her way to the closet in the hallway to get art supplies for the project she was about to do with the kids during the next class.

She had bought some new paint just yesterday, and she was so excited about using them since everything was non-toxic and the kids could really get creative. The paints had been very expensive, but Trixie had offered right away to get them for her, never objecting when she wanted to spend his money on things for school; actually he had insisted and even forced her sometimes to use his money instead of the small salary the school paid her for her work.

In reality, most of the stuff in her classroom and in the closet Katya brought from home, the older grades also getting supplies from her once in a while. The school board didn’t give her, or any of the teachers in the school, enough money for new textbooks, proper supplies or house plants, even though they had been proven to help kids learn. Every year when the summer break started, Katya filled her little car with every plant in the school to bring them home and take care of them while the school was deserted, Max happily watering the greens. Katya knew it was extreme, but it wasn’t a possibility for many of the kids to have access to arts and crafts at home, almost all of them coming from low income families.

Maybe that was why Katya loved doing her job so much: she felt like she made actual difference for the kids. She gently petted her baby bump, pondering what she should bring in for the class. In all honestly, she was a little worried about the baby growing in her belly. Trixie had told her again and again that she would be an amazing mom, and she believed with her whole heart that he would be the perfect dad, but she couldn’t help being a little worried for her avocado baby. She had promised herself that she would give her kid everything she could, but most of all her love and her time, the two things her parents had had the hardest time giving her.

Katya turned on the light inside of the closet, quickly shuffling inside, trying to choose whenever her students should have purple or blue paint for the finger painting they would be doing, when she heard someone crying, the noise coming from under the shelf.

Little Taystee, one of her preschoolers, was sitting on the floor of the closet, hiding, small sobs leaving her as she cried and Katya knew what was wrong instantly. Cindy from 6th grade had been bothering Taystee for a while now, Cindy herself only lashing out because her dad had disappeared, but trying to explain to a four-year-old that the girl bullying her was having a hard time herself was nearly impossible. Katya had talked to Cindy’s teacher several times and even to Cindy herself, but it looked like it hadn’t helped.

“Hey sweetie.”

“Hi Miss Z…”

“Cindy again?” asked Katya, the little girl nodding through tears. Taystee’s big brother was in prison, the boy going down for drug smuggling in early December, and Taystee had cried for days, the brother her main caretaker since her mom was bedridden with a chronic illness.

“Mmh… She said, she said, she said that Alonso would /die/ and that I would never see him again!”

Katya scooped the girl from the floor and picked her up, even though Taystee had to spread her legs over Katya’s belly, Katya’s back hurting a little. It wasn’t the most comfortable for either of them, but Katya knew that the physical contact was the best way to make the child feel better.

“That won’t happen. Alonso will be just fine and he will come back to you, okay?”

“You promise?“

“I promise, baby.”

Katya gave Taystee a hug, the small girl clinging to her, her arms around Katya’s neck, her sticky fingers buried in Katya’s blonde hair.

“I have an idea. How about we paint a nice picture for your brother in the next class, and then as soon as it’s dry we’ll send it with snail mail!” Katya smiled. She knew she had the addresses and contact information for everyone in her class since she had sent Christmas cards to every family she had ever been in contact with through her work. “If we hurry, he’ll have it next week!”

Taystee looked at Katya, the little girl looking like she didn’t really believe her.

“Does snails really bring the mail?”

Katya laughed, the two of them walking back to the classroom, Taystee on Katya’s hip. “No, my little duckling. It’s called snail mail because it’s very slow, like snails!”

Taystee nodded, thinking very hard about what Katya said. “Miss Z…”

“Yes?”

“Why is your tummy so big? Did you eat too much candy?”

Katya laughed, petting Taystee’s curly hair and putting her gently back on the floor. “No! There’s a little baby inside of it. Think of it like… Like I’m an oven, and right now I’m baking a tiny bread, but the bread is a baby, and it grows every day. He’s gonna come out in a few months if everything goes according to plan.”

“Wow! Can I touch?” The girl put her small hand on top of Katya’s stomach without waiting for the answer. “I can feel it moving!”

Katya could indeed feel the baby kicking and moving around, these little moments always making her feel more connected to the inhabitant of her uterus. The little avocado had been moving for a couple of weeks, and Trixie had cried like he was the baby the first time he had felt it, telling Katya over and over and over again how much he loved the both of them.

“He moves like that very often! Sometimes he won’t even let me sleep because he’s so busy moving around and learning how to kick and use his arms.”

“Wow…”

Katya smiled, the fact that Taystee was so excited and fascinated reminding her that she had to do a lesson for the class about the baby and the fact that her body was changing.

“Hey Miss Z?”

“Yes Taystee?”

“When your baby is born, can he come to school too?”

“When he’s a big boy, he might!” Katya had no intentions of taking Ivan to school, the area simply too violent and the school too dirty to risk bringing an infant to on a daily basis.

Katya grinned at Taystee, finally satisfied that the girl wasn’t sad anymore, the other kids coming into the classroom once again, everyone ready to paint.

***

“So I set you up for interviews with all the department heads. You have Alaska first, tomorrow after lunch, and then Alyssa right after that.”

“You’re the best, Roxy, thanks so much.” Willam took the printed schedule Roxy handed him. Pearl wanted him to do short interviews and bio notes for all the Galactica department heads for their website. The website was frankly kind of a mess, but Willam was working on it, with a lot of help from Laganja.

Fame’s front office didn’t change much since he was last there, only all the pink Post-Its were replaced by orange ones, and a bottle of Perrier stood where Courtney’s ever-present soda can with a straw used to be. The petite blonde disappeared mysteriously sometime after Willam last saw her and they didn’t even have a chance to chat. Courtney probably wouldn’t like to chat, but whatever. “Hey Roxy, do you happen to know what happened to Courtney? I swear I didn’t even blink and she was gone.”

“Weren’t you guys, like, dating or whatever?”

“Kind of, but you know. It’s not like I can call her and invite her out for a frappe now. It didn’t end on best terms.” That was an understatement, but Roxy already knew a lot, Willam’s journalist nature telling him to find out how much.

“Oh, I get it. We’re still not sure what happened, she just ran out of here in tears one day and never showed up again, not even a two weeks’ notice. Let me tell you, Miss Fame almost tore the roof off. She smashed a glass vase in her office”, Roxy lowered her voice.

“A glass vase? It was a nice vase, I saw it, that’s a shame.”

“You were inside of Fame’s office?” Roxy looked at Willam suspiciously, raising her eyebrows.

“Yeah, when I was with Courtney. Is it, like, forbidden?”

“Well, I’m not allowed to go in there when she’s not in, so…”

“Anyway, thanks for setting all the interviews up for me! See you later, Rox!” Willam decided to run for it before she started asking questions. He was the journalist here, not Roxy.

“See you, Will.”

***

“What do you think?”

“I like the blue one the best.” Violet smiled, taking a step back to really watch Sutan. When her boyfriend has asked her if she would help him find a new suit for the upcoming spring galas she had jumped on the opportunity instantly. She generally loved how Sutan dressed, the man always effortlessly stylish, his clothes always showing off the best parts of his body. If Violet was asked to be honest, it was something she had dreamt about, shopping for and with a boyfriend or girlfriend. She used to imagine her and Pearl spending days having fun, trying out clothes and making out in dressing rooms, but those days were long gone. “But the green one was good too, oh, I really can’t decide, everything suits you.”

Sutan laughed, the sound making a shiver of delight run down her spine.

They had been eating breakfast, Violet sitting in Sutan’s lap sipping on a cup of coffee when he had looked up from his phone, asking her if she wanted to go to the AmFAR gala and if she has time to go shopping with him sometimes during the week. His request had made a warm, possessive feeling of joy curl up in her stomach like a cat in a sunbeam, the fact that he trusted her, and that she got a say in how /her/ man dressed a small dream come true.

“Come on, you have to choose one.”

Violet stepped up, her arm sneaking around Sutan’s middle, her head resting on his shoulder.

“The blue one then.” Violet leaned forward in her shoes, getting up on her tippy toes to kiss his cheek, her lipstick leaving behind a faint mark. “It makes your skin look amazing, and the cut makes your butt even better than usual.”

“My butt?” Sutan laughed, the man watching them in the mirror, the two of them looking great together. Fashion Week had meant that journalists had taken pictures of him basically everywhere he went, and Violet had been in a couple of them, the two of them posing together, the photos now printed and stored carefully in his desk. None of the media had gotten her name right, none of them knowing and it had amused Sutan to no end that the media for once couldn’t meddle in his personal life. “You’re great company, mata indah, a true fashion icon, a queen among peasants. You dressing me guarantees that we’ll be the most stylish people at the event.” Sutan leaned in, getting a kiss.

“You’re teasing me…” Violet smiled, but Sutan noticed right away that her eyes seemed sad, like she was worried about something, his girls good mood suddenly gone.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong…”

“Baby, you’re practically radiating anxiety.”

“It’s not… I’m just… Nevermind, it’s silly.”

Sutan took the suit jacket off, hanging it back on the wall, ready to get back into his own clothes, Violet taking a step back in the dressing room.

“Are you sure?”

“No, yes, maybe, I mean… When I accepted the invitation I thought I had an outfit but… It’s just… As you said, there’ll be a lot of people and I just… I don’t own anything that matches you and… And … I’m sorry, I’m being silly” Violet was practically disappearing in front of his eyes, her body language making her smaller and smaller as she folded her arms, her hand tugging at the hem of her dress, like she was expecting him to yell at her, like she was prepared for him to go off at her for having feelings, for being worried, for being human, and in that moment, Sutan made a decision. His meetings could wait.

“When do you have to be back at work?”

Violet checked her watch, a small shrug indicating that she had time. “I have another hour or so… Why? Is everything okay?”

“Let me get buy you an outfit, let’s get you everything, underwear, shoes, jewelry, whatever you need to not worry.” Sutan was almost dressed in his own clothes, ready to leave the Armani store.

“What? No!” Violet looked genuinely distressed. “You can’t do that!”

“… Why not?”

“I don’t- Or, I mean, it’s not, it’s not that I’m ungrateful, it’s just… I mean… You don’t have to spend money on me… You’re already paying for this dress…”

Sutan took Violet’s hand, pulling her close, his hand coming up to rest on her cheek.

“Violet, if you believe for one second that I spend money on you to get something back, or if I do it because I expect… Whatever you think, from you, you’re wrong. I spend money on you because I have you, and it brings me joy to spoil you.”

“… Really?”

“Really.”

Violet hugged him, small kisses getting pressed into his neck as she whispered thank you over and over again.

Sutan and Violet went to get a dress for Violet, Sutan relaxing and sipping champagne while Violet tried on different things with the help of a shopping assistant. She finally put on a deep green one with an open back, removed the curtain and stepped out. “Do you like it?”

“Let me see you.”

Violet smiled and blushed, slowly spinning, and Sutan could see the ballet dancer in her with the grace of how she did it.

“It’s perfect. You’re perfect. Let’s get you some jewelry too.”

“Why?”

“Are you questioning why I want to buy you jewelry?”

***

“What are you going to wear tonight? I’ve never been to a jazz club before, do you wear fur or is that crazy? It sounds like a place you wear fur to, I mean, jazz clubs sounds pretty exclusive, right? And it is winter… I mean… I don’t know.”

Violet and Betty were eating lunch in their chairs in design, both of them avoiding the cafeteria since it was always stuffed, Betty not really knowing why Violet hated the cafeteria as much as she did. Betty looked at Violet like she was crazy, a jazz club? What was she talking about? And then Betty remembered they actually had plans together. The two of them and their boyfriends. Plans together. How crazy was that?

“Do you even like jazz?” Betty asked, trying to curb Violet’s unhealthy enthusiasm, and the girl’s face fell, her fingers picking at the bread she had bought as a side for her broccoli salad.

“Promise to never tell Sutan-”

“Sure.”

“But no, no, no I really don’t.”

Betty snorted over her plate of pasta. “Me neither.”

“Oh my God! Really? Does Shane know?” Violet was slightly shocked, her hand grabbing Bettys arm, eyes wide.

“No, and if you tell him, I’ll ruin your life piece by piece.” Betty pointed her fork at Violet, clearly threatening her. Violet laughed, shaking her head.  “I missed you so much in Paris Bets”, she said, standing up to wrap her arms around Betty from behind.

“Ew, don’t hug me at work! What is wrong with you?”

***  
“Are you cold?”

“No, I’m nervous…” Sutan looked at Violet, his sweet girlfriend fidgeting, her hands buried deep in the bottom of the pockets of her jacket. They had arrived just moments earlier, Violet insisting that she didn’t want to be late, at least not this once, Sutan meeting her right after work at the restaurant she had chosen for the night’s double date. The night was young, but cold, darkness already covering everything that wasn’t illuminated by street light, the glow from Sutan’s cigarette a comforting orange, the smoke filling his lungs.

“Why?”

“What if everything goes wrong? What if this turns out horribly wrong and I still have to see them at work on Monday and everything is weird and awkward because I made this weird and awkward?”

Sutan pulled Violet in, his arm around her waist, the girl resting her head against his shoulder, settling in even and Sutan realized how worried she had to be, since she would complain under normal circumstances about the smell of his smoke, the scent lingering on her clothes. Sutan dropped his cigarette, quickly stepping on it before he placed his other arm around Violet’s waist too, his leather covered hands holding her close, his lips kissing her hair, the faint smell of her lavender shampoo filling his nose.

“Everything will be okay.”

“Do you promise?”

“Promise.”

*

When the cab pulled up in front of the restaurant Gotham Bar & Grill, where Betty and Shane were supposed to meet Violet and Sutan, the couple was already waiting by the door. Violet was wearing a new coat, the fur almost as white as the snow on the ground, the sight of it making Betty snicker. “Guess who’s overdressed.”

“Oh come on, babe, give her a break.” Shane paid the driver and left the car to open the door for Betty, extending a hand for her to take. When she saw her earlier that evening, getting ready for the outing, his breath got taken away. Somehow she dug up a short, creamy white dress with fringe from the depths of her closet, and as Shane recalled, the dress remembered some excellent times. He had no idea she still owned it, but it was absolutely perfect for the evening.

They walked in, the surrounding modern and chic, waiters dressed fully in black, Shane trying to take in everything at once, smelling the delicious food from the tables they passed on the way. Their table was situated in the corner, nice and intimate, the crew quickly bringing them menus, the waiters basically ignoring both Violet and Betty, but Violet didn’t seem bothered about it at all while it made Shane’s skin creep.

Violet pulled some hair behind her ear, clearly nervous, talking a mile a minute. “Have you guys been to this restaurant before? This is usually where Fame comes if she wants to treat someone to a casual ‘authentic American experience’. I know you’re a vegetarian, Shane, but I checked the menu online and there are several options I genuinely hope they’re okay. I realized we’ve only ever eaten pizza and cafeteria food together and no one’s personal taste should be defined by what they’re forced to eat in a cafeteria-”

Before Shane could respond, Sutan placed his hand on Violet’s knee. “Know what? I think I’ll have the seafood salad as my starter, what about you, Betty?”

Violet has relaxed completely, smiling gratefully to Sutan and keeping quiet while everyone ordered their food.

***

They were all enjoying their meals, Violet and Sutan telling a story of how they went backstage at a Chanel show in Paris, Violet all thrilled about having met Karl Lagerfeld while Sutan entertained about how one of his models accidentally got on the wrong train during London Fashion Week and how she ended up halfway to Wales before she could get out.

Betty fidgeted in her chair. “Do you have any idea what’s been happening here when you were gone? Shane, I think you should tell the story.”

“The story? What - ah! Okay, of course. So - are you ready for this? - Trixie asked me to take over as boss when his child is born. Obviously I didn’t accept, but - can you believe that?” Shane was still in a state of shock, opening his hands and shaking his head to convey the absurdity of the situation. “A boss. Me!”

“Why wouldn’t I believe that? He has talked about giving you more responsibility for months.” Violet took a bite of her food, not seeing how Shane’s mouth hung open in total surprise. “He really trusts you as an employee, Shane.”

“How can you possibly know that?”, questioned Betty.

“We talk outside of work sometimes, and Katya mentioned it last week. We had doughnuts and I’m helping her on the baby’s first blanket. Have you heard it’s a boy? I hope he’ll be a blonde like Katya that would be adorable.” Violet tried to change the subject quickly, but it didn’t escape Shane’s attention that talking about her friendship with Trixie somehow made her feel uncomfortable. What was she hiding?

“It would, should we get them a gift? Do you guys want in on it?” Sutan looked at Shane and Betty.

“Oh, I already have something, I’m making him an avocado teddy with little arms and a face.”

“And you’re leaving me out in the cold, lovely eyes?”

“Fine, I’ll put your name on the present too”, Violet sighed, a teasing smile on her lips before she titled her head up, letting Sutan kiss her, a slight blush decorating her cheeks afterwards.

***

Sutan was cutting into his chicken, everyone chatting, the conversation flowing easily since Betty, Shane and Violet all knew each other from work. Violet generally didn’t talk much about her job, and Sutan didn’t ask, so getting this peek into her everyday life was a very special treat for him.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you eat anything with your hands before, Violet, and we’ve been eating lunch together for how long?” Betty was watching Violet, a smug smile on the woman’s lips. Betty was a lot like a snake, pretty to look at, but also deadly. She reminded him a lot of the king cobras he remembered from his childhood whenever he visited his grandparents, him and Raja having beat several with sticks in the forest of northern Jakarta.

“I just don’t like to get messy whenever I can help it…”

“That’s what he said.” Betty laughed at her own joke, Shane hiding his smile behind his glass, clearly amused by the girls’ banter.

“Are you sure you’re not talking about your design aesthetic?”

“Uff, you’re on fire today, Shitchki.”

Violet rolled her eyes, a smile on her face before she picked up a fork and a knife and cut off a small piece of her pizza, putting it elegantly into her mouth. Betty couldn’t hold her giggles in upon seeing that, clutching her imaginary pearls as a dark crimson blush covered Violet’s cheeks.

“You bitch, I can’t believe you, using a fucking knife and fork. Is that how you eat pizza in Paris, Miss Fancypants?”

Sutan couldn’t help but snort, Betty not giving a shit that they were in an expensive restaurant, and that eating with cutlery wasn’t actually that uncommon. Sutan liked that about Violet, the fact that he never had to worry about taking her anywhere like had sometimes had to with Raven and even Raja, in general most of his girls, but Violet was always well-mannered and polite.

“Are you going to stuff it in Sutan’s pocket this time too? I’m sure it’ll be a great snack tomorrow too.”

“Hey Betty, ever heard the expression “you are what you eat?” Well I think the steak is every fitting for you because your talent and your career is just that. Dead meat.”

Violet’s unexpectedly sassy answer made both Shane and Sutan laugh, their gazes crossing. “Is the like that all the time?” Sutan asked, gesturing to Betty with his head, Shane giving him a warm smile.

“Only about 67% of the time. I keep a chart, color coordinated and everything.”

Betty elbowed him in the side, everyone getting back to their meals with smiles on their faces.

***

Violet was excited and worried. Everything had gone nicely so far that evening, all four of them seated at the table she had booked for them at the Metropolitan Room, a tray of drinks on the table, a glass of wine for Violet that she hadn’t touched yet and whiskey for everyone else.

“I hope you guys can handle your whiskey, because it’s the liquid of jazz, my friends. Now drink up, it makes everything that much better!”

Betty raised her glass, challenging Sutan with a glare as she chugged all the liquor at once. “You were right, even you look kind of less like a douchebag now”, she quipped, Sutan just shaking his head at her.

Sutan took two cigars, which he brought along as a special treat, out of his pocket, and handed one to Shane.

“Oh, I’m not sure about that, Sutan, you know in what conditions these are usually made”, protested Shane, rolling the cigar between his fingers.

“Don’t worry, hippie man, it’s ethically sourced. Enjoy it.” Sutan extended his lighter to Shane, flicking it on, then lighting up his own cigar. Betty and Violet were looking at each other, annoyed, Betty raising her eyebrows, but not saying a word.

“It’s just this once, and it’s not like it’s a joint, kitty, it’s just a cigar.” Shane blew out smoke before kissing Betty’s cheek, the woman rolling her eyes, but seeming placated enough.

“It belongs to the era, all great jazz deserves a cigar”, said Sutan, this time making Violet groan in annoyance, so he pinched her cheek lightly, causing her to laugh melodically.

***  
Soon, the music started playing and they all sat calmly, listening. Violet was so glad and relieved everything was working out. Sutan’s arm was wrapped around her shoulder, anchoring her. During a particularly emotional number, Violet reached out and took Betty’s hand, their fingers intertwining. Slightly nervous, she looked to the other woman to see if she didn’t cross a line, but Betty only gave her a small smile in return.

“Uh! They’re playing Give Me The Simple Life!”, said Shane, catching Sutan’s attention.

“That’s one of her best numbers.”

“I know, she was legendary when she played with Lambert, Hendricks & Ross”

“I loved that album.”

“What? No way! Did you get her first solo album? On vinyl? Did you get it when it came out? The originals have to be worth hundreds!”, teased Shane.

“Fuck you, man, it came out in ‘52, I’m from ‘73”, Sutan clipped back, but he was smiling, taking the joke in good spirit.

“Well, close enough!”

The atmosphere in the room was nice and calm, the concert more background noise than anything else, to Violet at least. She was happy that the boys were getting along, already talking in hushed voices, lost in their own world. Violet leaned in to whisper into Betty’s ear. “I’m going to the bathroom, do you want to join me?”

“Sure, okay.”

As soon as they stepped into the bathroom, Violet fished her makeup bag out of her purse to find her lipstick.”Are you enjoying it?” she asked Betty.

“It’s alright.” Betty reapplied her powder. Violet could hear in the tone of her voice that she was actually trying not to reveal how much she was enjoying the evening, and Violet grinned. Betty’s ways never changed.

She leaned over, enveloping Betty in a hug. “I know you don’t like when I do this, but I don’t care…”

Betty patted Violet’s back, sighing, then stepping back as she looked over Violet’s shoulder at Violet’s makeup bag left on the counter beneath the mirrors.

“You have some really cool stuff in there, mind if I take a look?”

“Go ahead. Believe it or not, but Fame can actually tell the quality of lipstick from a distance. I think that’s a part of why she loves having Alaska in makeup so much, she’s not afraid to tell someone if their makeup is terrible.” Violet laughed.

“I love this lipstick! I couldn’t find this shade anywhere for months.”

“You can have it if you want, I don’t use it all that much.” The shade was a bubblegum pink one, bringing unwanted memories of Courtney each time Violet looked at it.

“Really? Thanks so much!” Betty threw the lipstick into her purse, smiling at Violet. “Now let’s go back or the guys are going to forget we even exist.”

***

“Why is everything in Manhattan /always/ sticky?

“Babe, it’s fine. Do you want my jacket to sit on?”

“I’m not going to sit on your Hugo Boss jacket. I’ll just go ask the waitress to clean up.”

The four of them went to a nearby 24/7 diner after the concert. Sutan convinced everybody that it was the best place around to get waffles, having been here since the 80s. Sutan rolled his eyes at Violet, sitting down anyway, not giving a shit that the table was actually sticky. He cheered for himself quietly when Betty and Shane looked at him in approval.

The waffles arrived quickly, along with their drinks, all of them enjoying the rest of the night, and everybody seemed to be in a great mod.

“Did you hear they’re pulling someone up from tailoring, Betty? I hope its Bendela, she’s so sweet.”

Sutan leaned back with his drink, calmly listening to the girls talking about work. He didn’t have anything to contribute to the conversation, but he still enjoyed it, always finding Violet endlessly adorable when she nicely talked about her coworkers.

“Ugh, her? She fucked up the buttons on my Fashion Week pants, and of course Raja took it out on me.”

“Come on, Bets, that was just Raja fucking with you.”

Sutan couldn’t help but laugh, finding the entire exchange and Betty’s distaste for Raja amusing. “Raja has a tendency to be horrible when she cares about something, she’s pretty detail-oriented.”

“That’s the understatement of the year”, said Violet, setting down the rest of her waffle. “Did I tell you about that time she made me redo an entire proposal for Fame because she didn’t like the font I used? I had to redo 10 agendas all because of Helvetica.”

“See? And you wonder why I don’t like her.”

“She’s not that bad.” Sutan felt obliged to defend his sister at least a little.

“She’s not, but you also signed a contract at birth that you to love her because she’s your twin”, Violet said, leaning into Sutan’s side a little, a kiss getting exchanged between the two. Violet giggled, the wine in her blood making her even sweeter than usual, making Betty and Shane roll their eyes as they poured sirup on their waffles. 

***

Laila walked out of Pearl’s room when it was nearing noon to get a glass of water. She figured she could also try making lunch from what was in the fridge, hoping she’d find something more than kale chips and radish sprouts.

She was sure she was alone in the apartment. She spent the entire morning in Pearl’s bed, blasting Pearl’s music loud and eating the powerbars Pearl had left while watching Netflix on the spare computer Pearl owned for some reason. Laila was still overwhelmed sometimes by the fact that her girlfriend was rich enough to even have a spare computer. Pearl had given it to Laila as hers to use whenever she wanted and Laila didn’t complain, although she couldn’t keep it in her apartment, scared it’d get stolen. Laila had Turbo with her, the cat now curled up and purring on Pearl’s pillow; he always favored the one Pearl slept on, drawn to her smell.

Trixie insisted that it was good for Katya to have animals around, since it meant Avo baby will have less chances of being allergic when he comes out, according to his sister Trannika. Laila had even heard that Trixie had tried to borrow animals from his friends, even their scary boss lady, who Pearl had told her owned a Great Dane. Katya had spent a good chunk of last night with Turbo in her lap while they all watched movies, Max’s pet lizard on her shoulder with Trixie overjoyed, his palm on his fiancées stomach, gently petting as he whispered the plot to the baby in her tummy.

When Laila made her way to the kitchen in the morning, she definitely didn’t expect to see Violet by the living room table, TLC’s Say Yes To The Dress on TV, volume low while the girl was holding something that looked like an embroidery frame, her hands working intricate patterns at high speed. She was deep in concentration, pearls going on her needle and then into the fabric and then again, again and again, endlessly. Laila watched her for a moment from a few feet away, fascinated, before she decided to signal her presence.

“Hi, Violet.”

Violet looked up, surprised to see Laila in the apartment. “Hi, I thought I was alone, how long have you been here?”

“Since last night. Sorry if the music was too loud or anything, I was sure you were at work, everyone usually is once Max is gone.“

“No, don’t worry, it’s fine, I didn’t even notice. I like working from home sometimes, it’s too noisy at work when I really have to concentrate, and everyone wants to talk to me all the time…” Violet smiled, Laila pretty thrown off at the suggestion that she should leave her alone. “Oh, shit, sorry, not like that, please, you can talk to me, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it.”

Laila decided to give Violet the benefit of the doubt, not understanding why Laila’s presence seemed to be stressing her out; if anything, Laila should be worried as she stood there in her Target underwear and worn out hoodie while Violet was perfectly dressed as always.

“What are you doing?” She asked, pointing to what laid in front of Violet.

“It’s a dress, for a client that is…. She saw the dress I made for the Galactica show and she really liked it. Do you know the one? If not that’s fine, I mean, I’m not really sure how much you care about all of this…” Violet gestured towards what she was working on. “stuff…”

“Wait a second, you made this?” It was hard to believe anybody could create such a delicate pearl design by hand, but Laila was less and less surprised by life anymore. Still, Violet’s work was very impressive.

“I did… I mean, I used a machine for parts of it, the customer specified that she wanted to wear it and machine seams just last longer and the dry cleaners aren’t as delicate as they have been.” Violet started rambling, putting down the needle and reaching for her cup of tea.

“How long have you worked on this?”

“I don’t know…” Violet thought for a few moments. “A 100 hours or so? I think it’ll be another 150, 200 before it’s done.“

“So about 300 hours total? Are you for real? How the fuck do you have time for that?” Laila was used to working 60 or more hours a week, but she couldn’t imagine spending that much time on one project and still managing to live a life like a human being.

“I don’t sleep all that much and it is a Galactica gown, so I can work on it when there’s time at work…” Violet smiled a little, before she sat up. “Laila, do you want coffee or tea? I’m sorry I didn’t offer you anything earlier… I get really in my head when I work sometimes.”

“You know what, I’ll get something myself, you keep on working. Actually - ” a loud meow broke Laila’s sentence, Turbo having gotten up from Pearl’s bed and trotted to find Laila, since she had left the bedroom door open. Laila picked up the kitten who had been running around her feet, scratching him behind the ear. “Are you hungry, you ugly monster? Let’s see if we can find your food somewhere.”

“Oh my gosh, your cat is here?” Violet cooed, leaning over to pet Turbo, her nails scratching it behind the ears, the kitty softly meowing at her. “He is so cute, are you a little cutie? Are you the cutest kitty on the entire East Side, yes you are, yes you are…”

“Violet, meet Turbo. I wouldn’t say he’s cute, he’s a rather ugly motherfucker. But I love him anyway.” /Because he’s a stray from the street, like me./ “Do you want to hold him?” offered Laila, seeing how Violet kept petting the cat, almost tipping off the chair in her attempt to please the small creature. “He’s pretty fidgety, but maybe he’ll sit for, like, two seconds. But careful - careful with the thing.”

“Sure, sure, I promise.” Violet moved her chair away from the table, pushing away the embroidery frame. Laila put Turbo on her lap, the cat quickly clinging to Violet’s sweater with his claws. “Hey little buddy, this is real wool, so could you please keep your tiny paws off.” Violet laughed, gently removing Turbo’s claws so he wouldn’t tear up her clothes. “I think he’s sweet… Actually, can I tell you a secret?”

Laila nodded, afraid what Violet could come up with.

“I love pugs…. I know it’s weird, but I do, I really do.” Violet scratched Turbo’s head, the cat purring, its tail whipping back and forth in delight.

“Really?”

“Yes, it’s actually a little embarrassing… I always try to play it cool, but I can’t help it whenever I see one, I just feel like I /have/ to pet it, you know? I wish I had one of my own…”

“I get it. Maybe you should get one then?” The simplest option was, most of the time, the best in Laila’s opinion, but Violet shook her head.

“I work too much… I mean, I’m barely home and pugs are very social animals, did you know they’re rated one of the most loyal breeds in the world? One of my old teachers had one and it always came to work with him… I mean, if I had a dog I would want it to be happy… And they’re really expensive, they can easily clock in at 2000 dollars and that’s just for the dog itself…” Violet looked at Laila, a blush creeping up in her cheeks. “I’m rambling, aren’t I, I’m sorry… I just… I just don’t think my lifestyle can accommodate a dog right now…”

“Well, probably not. Sorry.”

“Maybe someday.” Turbo jumped off Violet’s lap, trotting back to Laila to rub against her legs. “I should probably get back to that, but if you need anything, Laila, let me know.”

“Okay! Thanks!” answered Laila awkwardly, scooping up Turbo and taking him to the kitchen, hunger gnawing at both of them as Violet continued her work.

***

“I hope this will work now. I changed the oil for you and I’m praying it’s right, because you know I don’t know shit about cars.”

{Thanks, Brian.} said Trannika. They were in the underground garage of Trixie’s apartment building, Trixie helping her with Katya’s old car before she started on her way back home. “If I do end up in a ditch after all, remember to donate my organs.”

“Stop saying that, idiot.” Trixie sat in the passenger’s seat, Trannika joining him inside the car, behind the wheel. She looked at her brother, his lively features lacking the usual smile, and noticed how exhausted he was. He was always on high energy around Katya, the baby they were expecting a source of constant joy, but also a source of worries that he didn’t show around his fiancee. “Does the sound system work here? Can you plug in your iPod?”

“I don’t own an iPod, you know Apple is the worst and I can’t support their greedy corporate ways.”

“Of course.” Trixie tapped the dashboard. “Is the radio okay at least?”

“It is. Trixie - ” Trannika grabbed his wrist, forcing him to look her in the eyes. “Are you worried about something? Because you shouldn’t be. You and Katya are doing a bangin’ job, okay? Just keep doing what you do, it’s just a baby. It’s the most natural thing in the world.”

“No, you don’t - I’m - alright, maybe I’m worried. Or overwhelmed. It’s just a lot, you know? Katya is reading all these self-help guides to maternity and some of them can’t even agree on the right milk temperature.” There were lines across Trixie’s forehead Trannika didn’t remember from before. “How are /we/ supposed to figure out the milk temperature?”

Trannika kept on holding Trixie’s hand, tracing the insides of his palm with her fingers, happy that he wasn’t pulling away. “Remember what you said to me when I was four, and scared of the dark?”

“I have no idea.”

“You said, ‘run headfirst into the darkest room there is, stand there, and look the monsters in the eyes. You’ll be just fine, you know why? Because there are no monsters.’”

Trixie kept watching Trannika with amusement, scratching the side of his head. “Did I really say that? And you still remember?”

“I do. I remind myself of this every day.”

Trixie smiled wonderingly, resting his forehead against Trannika’s shoulder for a moment. “Thank you, sis.” They hugged briefly before Trixie left the car, slamming the door shut. “See you soon, right? Be careful out there.”

“I will. Call me sometime, alright?”

“I’ll call you tomorrow.”

/He won’t/, thought Trannika as she started the car to drive out from the underground garage.

***

“Hey, listen to this.”

Trixie was rubbing cocoa butter into Katya’s stomach, the baby kicking his hand whenever he pushed down. Katya had read somewhere that teasing a baby wasn’t good for it since it took away energy that the infant needed to grow, but Trixie couldn’t help himself, the fact that there was someone in there who was alive such a miracle to him.

Katya was sitting in her chair, her hair put up, a book in her hands and a plate of chocolate biscuits at her side.

“It says “The Maternity package is a kit granted by the Finnish social security institution Kela, to all expectant or adoptive parents who live in Finland or are covered by the Finnish social security system. The package contains children’s clothes and other necessary items, such as nappies, bedding, cloth, gauze towels and child-care products. It was first issued in 1938 to parents with a low income, and contained a blanket, crib sheets, diapers, and fabric which parents could use to make clothing for the baby.” Katya closed the book, her finger between the pages marking her spot. “Do you think we should get one of these? Or try to replicate it? I’ve been thinking and I can’t decide, one of the other teachers said she co slept, while another one swore up and down that a crib was the right way to go, but I’ve also seen good things about moses baskets… What do you think?”

“I was put in a cradleboard, my mom made a dikineyaab for me” Trixie smiled as he saw Katya’s confused expression. He forgot so often that they were quite literally from two different worlds, Katya’s earliest memories of snow covered Moscow, of incredible wealth and silver forks, while he had grown up dirt poor in a reservation in Minnesota. “It’s a decorated blanket.”

“That sounds interesting, should we get one of those-”

“No, this child isn’t Ojibwe, and a cradleboard is dangerous anyway, what if he falls over and gets hurt?”

“Trix… He is your kid, so he’ll always be-”

“Don’t say it.”

Katya sighed as she kissed the bald spot on top of Trixie’s head. It always made her heart ache with sadness whenever her boyfriend talked about his parents, the anger and the resentment he had towards them, the fact that he could barely even stand to look at Trannika some days, the girl dropping in unannounced more often than not since Katya had given her her old car, Trixie forcing her to upgrade to one with more safety features since she had fallen pregnant.

“How about we get a moses basket and a pram for now, best of both worlds.”

“Whatever you think, sugarbutt.”

“Don’t try to sweet talk me, daddy.” Katya smiled, her silly and wonderful Trixie returning to her.

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”

***

“Hey handsome.” Violet smiled, watching her boyfriend come closer. She was standing under the rain bath, her fingers gliding through her hair as she massaged her conditioner in. She could feel the fresh sea breeze caress her body, the garden and the house hidden from view, everything so dreamy and perfect, her body slack with relaxation. The trip was taking its tool on her hair and her skin, making her dry out while Sutan bloomed in the tropical weather.  
He looked delicious with his darkened skin, rough and a little dangerous, like some kind of god, a sex god. His tattoos were almost hidden as they were all grey ink, the pictures only visible when he moved.

She felt Sutan’s arms sneak around her waist, a kiss getting pressed into her neck, the scent of salt and sea, of sand and sun filling her nose before it too was washed away by the deliciously cold water from the spray. Violet turned her head, their lips meeting as Sutan’s hand glided over her body. Neither of them had said anything, but they didn’t need to, not when they were together like this.

Sutan’s hands were hot, so hot against her skin, her nipples aching as they peaked. Violet couldn’t help it, her reaction instantaneous; there was something about showers, something about the steady beat of water and the intimacy always making her knees weak.

Violet shuddered, a small moan leaving her, her skin peeking up into goose bumps and Violet couldn’t help but whimper as heard Sutan’s chuckle, the deep tones making pleasure curl in her belly, the vibrations rumbling against her back, Sutan pressing a kiss into her neck, against her jaw, his teeth nipping her ear, driving her wild.

Violet turned around, a smile on her face, their eyes meetings. Sutan’s arm went under her right knee as he hoisted her up like she weighed nothing, making her stand on her toes like a doll he could control, like she was nothing but a plaything to him, Sutan owning every part of her.

He pushed her against the wall, bracing them with his free hand, Violet easily following his lead, her arm around his neck, their lips locking in a kiss once again. Violet guided Sutan inside of her, their rhythm slow at first, Sutan pushing in, Violet pushing down, small sounds from both of them drowning in the stream of the water as they ran together, their hips meeting trust for trust, Sutan fucking into her faster and faster, everything feeling so perfect, so right. She was safe and loved and everything was okay. He was here. Violet gasped, red hot head building, Sutan pushing against her, the pressure driving her higher and higher until everything culminated in one deep trust and Violet woke up, her body sweaty, her room dark, her legs soaked in wetness, her hand seeking out her heat, bringing herself over before she had even really realised it was a dream.

 


	27. Chapter 27

Chad led Violet through the buyer’s department at Saks. “Hey guys, this is Violet, a brilliant young designer at Galactica. Please note that she doesn’t like small talk so you can all fuck yourselves unless you have enough money for couture.” Chad laughed at her own joke, while Violet blushed deeply.

Chad’s assistant rushed to open the door for Violet, seeing her straining to carry everything.

“Don’t mind her, dude, she lives to give people shit but she’s actually a big ol’ teddy bear.”

“Thanks,” Violet whispered gratefully, as the girl winked and shut the door behind them.

Chad perched on her desk. Violet could feel her icy blue eyes on her and tried not to be self-conscious as she slowly unzipped the bag. Chad gasped. “Sweet baby Jesus that is STUNNING! How are you so far along already? Look at this beading!” Chad rushed forward to gush over the dress.

Violet felt a surge of self-confidence. “I’ve been working as much as possible. So you like it so far?”

“I LOVE it! I can’t wait to try it on. Should I strip?”

“Sure,” Violet smiled, “I hope you’re wearing proper underwear though.”

Chad raised her eyebrows. “Oh, okay, she can be sassy. I like this side of you.”

Emboldened, Violet asked, “Um, is it okay if I put on some music while I work? It helps me think.”

“Sure, love. Anything you want.”

Violet pulled out her phone and began to play a piece from  _La Bayadère_.

“Well, this is an interesting choice for someone your age. I was expecting some peanut butter-mouthed pop star like Ariana.”

Violet giggled and helped Chad step carefully into the skirt. “Not my style.”

“Yes, now that I think about it, that was a very ridiculous assumption.”

Violet began to pin, humming along with the music under her breath.

“I seriously cannot believe how beautiful it is,” Chad commenting, admiring her reflection and shaking her head slightly. “I mean I can, because you’re fantastic, but I can’t believe how FINISHED it is.”

Violet slipped the bodice over her head and made a few marks with her chalk, pulling it a little tighter. “I’m sorry that the bodice is separate. It’ll all be sewn together but since it’s an off hour job, I had to be able to transport it around. I promise it won’t be noticeable in the final result.”

Chad waved her hand. “Darling, this is not my first couture gown.”

Violet stepped back to take in the whole look from a distance. “You look great Ms. Michaels. That was a good call about making it sleeveless, and the low back.”

“Trivial. Your artistry is what really makes it.”

“It was my specialty at Parsons…I love making gowns.” Violet smiled, talking around the pins in her mouth as she made adjustments. “It’s so… freeing, to be able to work on something this big, the attention to detail, the care you get to put into everything. I did some classes on tailoring as well but I don’t care too much for street wear… It’s too bad that’s where the money is if you want to make a living out of designing.” Violet looked up. “Oh, I’m sorry, I’m complaining, I’m sure you hear negative nancies all the time, I’ll stop right now, I’m just grateful for the opportunity to do this work.”

“I’m just happy you have opinions about something!” Chad replied, smirking.

Violet pulled a mirror behind her so that she could see the entire dress. “You look like a Greek goddess!”

“Oh my gosh, that gives me the BEST idea for the hair!” Chad exclaimed, then looked at Violet with an earnest expression. “Violet, seriously. Thank you. This is…I’m so overwhelmed. I’m not often at a loss for words.”

“Fame always says, ‘Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work!’”

“Of course she does, you darling girl. Give me a hug.”

“Let’s take the dress off first,” Violet said with a wink.

Chad threw back her head and laughed. “Good call.”

***

“Fame darling! I have tea and petit fours,” sang Raja as she walked into her best friend and business partner’s immaculately bright office. It was a deceptively nice day today in NY, and Raja decided that today would be a nice day to have a light lunch with her favorite blonde.

Fame took off her reading glasses at the sight of the tall Indonesian woman walking into her office pushing a small rolling cart. Raja was carrying a delicate tea set and a silver tower filled with little finger sandwiches, tea cakes and fruit. “You must have read my mind,” she said with a smile as she watched Raja get closer to her small sitting area in a corner of her office under a window.

“What can I say,” Raja said smugly as she set the small tea service on the low coffee table. “It’s a gift.”

“It’s a gift that keeps on giving, because I’m absolutely famished.” Fame replied as she got up from her desk.

“Tell me about it,” Raja started as she placed their lunch tower beside the tea set. “I went down to Lil Poundcakes Cafe & Bakery and I tell you, I could have eaten every jelly doughnut they had on the cooling rack.”

“I know, it must have smelled heavenly.” Fame replied dreamily. “I have to ask Patrick to get me one of their peach cobbler mini-tarts. I’ve been craving one since Milan.”

“I can believe that. All of those lovely sweets. I mean, the goodie bags at the Bottega Veneta show was amazing.” Raja countered as she handed Fame a small, decorative, glass plate. “Those weaved chocolate bonbons were delightful.”

“The ones with the salted caramel filling?” Asked Fame as she picked up a delicate cucumber sandwich with her fingers.

“Awww, I didn’t get the any of those,” Raja whined. “The chocolates I got in my bag had a creamy chocolate-raspberry ganache.”

Fame smiled at Raja who had poked her lips poked out as she poured them both cups of tea.

“It’s gonna be ok,” Fame said sweetly, “They weren’t that good anyway.”

“You’re just saying that to make me feel better,” Raja said as she prepared their cups of tea how they liked it with honey and fresh mint leaves.

“Is it working?” Fame asked as she placed a slice of a tomato and basil bread on Raja’s empty plate.

“Not really, but I appreciate the effort,” Raja said with a smile as she set the smaller woman’s prepared tea cup in front of her.

“Well I tried,” Fame said with a sheepish smile. “Just like how Missoni tried with the crochet bikinis this season.”

“Oh let’s not talk about it,” Raja groaned. “I was just sitting there, front row, totally overwhelmed. ‘I see where you’re going, but I don’t know why.’ I can’t imagine any woman who would want to wear a wool bikini.”

“That looks like it was crocheted on those little kiddie crochet kits.” Fame said with a sigh.

“Hell I could have saved them some money and just did it on my fingers and toes,” Raja replied.

“And got the same result.” Fame countered, earning a bark of laughter from Raja.

Raja cackled at Fame’s statement, “You’re so shady!”

“It’s not shade if it’s true.” Fame replied delicately after she took a sip of tea. “Oh this is good? What kind is it? Because it doesn’t taste like our usual blend.”

Raja took a sip from her own tea cup before responding. “This is some tea that mani makes in the summer,” she said before taking another sip. “She throws dried flowers, herbs and tea leaves together and grinds them into a powder.”

“It’s absolutely divine,” Fame said happily. “It’s so light and refreshing, and not overly sweet.”

“I know right!” Exclaimed Raja with a big smile. “It is perfect for any time of day because it’s so light and it pairs with everything, like the new Balmain collection we saw in London.”

“Oh that was a beautiful show, their new creative director is really moving the brand forward,” said Fame with a nod of agreement from Raja while taking a bite of her food.

“I totally agree, I am so proud of Olivier Rousteing and his vision for Balmain,” Replied Raja. “Raven has so much Balmain in our wardrobe now, from leather moto pants, to mini dresses and tops.” She continued as she poured both Fame and herself fresh cups of tea. “But I saw that mini skirt you had the on in Milan, very 90s,” she said with a smirk at Fame’s slight blush. “I trust Patrick gave his stamp of approval.”

Fame turned pink around her ears at Raja’s observation of her Milan Fashion Week outfit. “You’re the worst, and I hope you know that.” She said flatly.

“I’m only the worst if what I said was a lie,” Raja replied cheekily with a grin. “Besides, you stayed true to your esthetic, except you showed off your amazing legs and fabulous spray tan.”

“I feel that was a read.”

“Do you feel very attacked right now?” Asked Raja as she looked over the rim of her cup at her friend.

“I don’t even know how to feel right now,” Fame replied with a flat expression.

“Well it may have been a read, I don’t remember,” Raja started. “But this is your moment and I’m going to let you have that.”

“How gracious of you.” Fame replied.

“I try.”

***

Courtney bounced excitedly in her seat. Bianca put a hand on her arm. “Baby, calm down. Just listen to their ideas and try to be objective. Derrick might not even be the right person to direct.”

“I can’t calm down,” Courtney whispered.

Bianca kissed her shoulder and slid her a glass and a straw. “Pour your water in there. If you get too excited, stick the straw in your mouth.”

Courtney sat back, sighing happily. Bianca was letting her use one of the Marie Claire conference rooms for the meeting, and agreed to sit in because “‘no’ doesn’t seem to be in your vocabulary, and you don’t have a manager yet.”

She jumped up when Bianca’s assistant brought Lucian and Derrick into the room, smiling gratefully at the pretty brunette. “Thanks, Joslyn!”

Joslyn smiled back. “No problem.”

Courtney gave Lucian a big hug and shook Derrick’s hand. “So happy to meet you! Lucian says you’re a huge Britney fan.”

“I am probably her biggest fan. I’ve dressed up as her for Halloween for 5 years.”

Courtney laughed and clapped her hands. “Did people think you were her? You look so much like her.”

Bianca rolled her eyes at Derrick’s thrilled expression, nudging Courtney gently. “Well, you just made a friend for life.”

“What’s your favorite Britney look?” Courtney asked.

Derrick answered without missing a beat, “Slave 4 You VMA performance, with the snake.”

“Yes! Omigod that was legendary!”

Bianca cleared her throat. “Have a seat, guys.”

They all sat down, and Derrick pulled out a large sketchpad. “Okay, so I’m sure you are anxious to hear about my ideas. I have a definite favorite, but I won’t tell you which one it is.

Courtney almost clapped and squealed but when she saw Bianca’s warning look, she pressed her lips together and folded her hands in her lap. “Great, let’s have a look,” she said, getting an approving nod from Bianca.

Derrick presented her concepts. The first one was very meta. She was at a concert, looking mournfully at a hot boy, and then at one point, she became the artist on stage, and picks him out of the crowd. The second one, she described her as “Game of Thrones-style royalty” in love with the ruler of an opposing kingdom. They meet on the battlefield and an epic romance/war ensues.

“Sounds cool…but really expensive.” Courtney commented.

Lucian laughed. “Your girl is smarter than she looks, B.” He winked at Courtney.

“Did you have any more, Derrick?” Courtney tried to keep her face businesslike.

“Okay, so, I have this concept that kind of uses the whole high school thing from the original, and also has to do with your life…although I’m not sure if it’s too personal…I mean I got a lot of info from Lucian so–”

“Spit it out, girl, I got a three o’clock,” Bianca said, checking her watch.

Derrick stuck her tongue out at Bianca and began. “Okay. So. You’re a cheerleader, and you’re walking through the halls of a high school. And it’s intercut with…let’s just say love scenes, with a bunch of different guys… like, a football player, a basketball player, a wrestler, etc. How graphic they get will be up to you guys and the target demographic. But all the guys will be attractive, athletic, clean-cut–”

“So she’s a slutty cheerleader? That’s original.” Bianca tapped her pen on the table, an irritated look on her face.

“B, hear her out. There’s more.”

“These are the moments when I really miss you, Bianca,” Derrick said, rolling her eyes.

Bianca huffed and motioned for her to continue.

“Right, so, okay, we assume you’re singing to one or more of these guys, until you step out of the school and run up to a group of like, misfits. You know, weirdo stoners and gothy, emo kids. And you grab a girl. The kind of girl that is super cool but never fits in in high school. Like, purple hair or something, a bunch of tattoos and piercings. And suddenly here’s this hot cheerleader and that’s the person she chooses. And then it ends with you two kissing.” Derrick sat back. “Too cheesy? I know it’s a little Glee-adjacent but I think it’s a really sweet message.”

Courtney sat in silence.

“I mean, I didn’t know if you wanted to play with sexuality, I know you’re might not be out, so…what do you think?” Derrick looked at her expectantly.

Courtney swallowed. She hadn’t thought about what it would mean to be “out” but suddenly the idea of a video where she was swooning over boys felt hollow and false to her. She glanced over at Bianca, and then turned back to Derrick, smiling. “I love it. What do you think, B?”

Bianca nodded. “Yeah, it’s cool. Do you have any casting ideas?”

“I was hoping to get at least one cameo from a known face in the demo. Like the kid who plays Hakeem on  _Empire_ , or one of the boys from  _Pretty Little Liars_ , or for the girl at the end–”

Courtney clapped her hand over her mouth, eyes wide. “I just had an idea.” She dissolved into giggles.

“Who are you thinking of, hon?” asked Lucian.

Courtney looked over at Bianca, trying to keep a straight face. “I mean…purple hair, tattoos…”

Bianca shook her head. “Absolutely not.”

“Come on, B, it’s just acting!”

“I’m confused,” Lucian declared.

“You and me both,” said Derrick.

“You really wanna use her? Fine. But no tongue.” Bianca crossed her arms.

Courtney laughed and climbed into Bianca’s lap. “Awww, B, it’ll be fine. She could use the publicity too, and you know she’s a great actress. Besides, if I really wanted Adore like that, I could’ve had her years ago,” Courtney smirked.

Lucian furrowed his brow. “Wait, your little sister, Adore?”

Bianca rolled her eyes. “If she tries anything, I’m cutting her off.”

Courtney giggled again, hugging Bianca around the neck.

***

“Is something wrong?”

Violet looked up from her magazine, Sutan was standing in front of her dressed in a pair of sweats, a white shirt and his glasses, looking absolutely delicious.

“No?”

“Are you sure?”

Sutan sat down on the bed, Violet quickly lifting the covers so he could settle in beside her, her Marie Claire forgotten for now as Sutan laid his head in her lap, her fingers playing with his hair.

“Why would anything be wrong? Have I been acting weird?”

Sutan looked up at Violet before he pressed a kiss to her stomach.

“You haven’t asked to borrow my phones for days. Aren’t you worried about all the cute puppies you’re not pressing like on?”

“Oh!” Violet smiled, now understanding what Sutan was talking about. “No, I’m still liking all the puppies, I’m just not using your phone anymore.”

Violet looked down at her boyfriend. She loved getting to watch him, to remember his face and what he looked like, what he actually looked like. Violet loved staying in Sutan’s apartment, his bedding always smelling fresh, everything always nice and organized even though it was slightly impersonal, nights like these her favorites.

"Raven forced me to get an instagram account, so I figured I could spare you the hassle of having to share your phone. I’m a big girl, I can handle my own technology daddy-o” Violet smiled, the obvious distaste on Sutan’s face as she called him daddy highly entertaining.

“I liked the hassle, and don’t ever say that again. I like dating my 23-year-old  _adult_  girlfriend.”

“I like dating you too.”

***

Pearl looked at her clean face in the mirror with distaste. Her and Laila were about to leave for the club, and while Laila was nearly ready, removing some cat fur from her leggings, Pearl wasn’t even close to done.

“I don’t know what to weeeeeaaaaar.”

“You’re already dressed. What the fuck?” Laila looked up from where she was sitting on Pearl’s floor.

“Yeah, I mean, like, on my face. I don’t know how to do my face.”

Laila jumped up, tilting her head while looking at Pearl’s face, pursing her lips.

“Show me your makeup bag, maybe I can help you decide?”

“Wait, I can show you the case.” Pearl had a full makeup case set up on her vanity, the eyeshadows and lipsticks and contouring palettes in a total mess inside. She could swear Laila’s eyes lit up and she sucked in a sharp breath when Pearl opened the box. “Please do your magic and find me something good.”

“Damn, I wish I didn’t have my face done already. You’ve got the new Too Faced palette? I’m so in love with this shade, it would look gorgeous against your skin tone.” Laila was touching the items with care, moving them around like they were prized possessions.

“You can do my face if you want.”

Laila turned to Pearl sharply, a Kryolan aubergine lipstick in her hand. “Seriously? Don’t say it if you don’t mean it, Pearlie.”

“Yeah, seriously. Your makeup is always flawless, I want you to do mine. Come on! Did you see the Bobbi Brown contouring kit? I’ve heard it’s supposed to be good.”

Laila grinned excitedly, Pearl finding her endlessly adorable in moments when she showed her happiness, fully in her comfort zone.

“I don’t know why you’re so excited, babe, it’s just my face.”

“Yeah, exactly! It’s your face! The famous and beautiful Pearl Liaison is going to get her makeup done by the peasant Laila McQueen!”

“I hate when you talk about yourself like that.”

“Sorry.” Laila already guided Pearl to sit down, running the top of her palm against Pearl’s cheekbones slowly. “Your bone structure is seriously to die for, has anyone ever told you that?”

“Once or twice,” drawled Pearl, giggling inwardly. The thought of Laila finding her beautiful was doing weird things to her stomach. Pearl already had her eyes closed, hearing Laila rummage through the makeup case and feeling the girl distribute primer on her skin moments later.

They fell into comfortable silence, Pearl always loving the relaxing feeling of somebody putting makeup on her. She felt like she could drift off, only if it hadn’t been for the electric awareness of the fact that it was  _Laila_  applying eyeliner on Pearl’s eyelids in this very moment.

“You’re so good at this, you’re not even flinching.”

“I had my eyes poked at by countless men and women when I was a model. And many of them weren’t as gentle as you. I know how to sit still.”

Laila’s movements were professional and gentle, leaving Pearl in awe. Her girlfriend was really great at this and Pearl’s head was bursting with ideas; it was time for Laila to utilize that talent somehow, make money off of it. Pearl was always angry at how Laila needed to wipe tables for cash, and couldn’t even open her apartment windows because they faced a backyard of some stinky diner. This sucked, Laila was meant for better things, she was meant to be happy and successful.

“Hey babe?”

“Yeah?” Laila was smoothing down Pearl’s eyebrows.

“Galactica is launching a new makeup line sometime in March and we’re having this huge party. Will you be my plus one? It’s gonna be really chill, and you’d meet Alaska and Kim from makeup, you’re going to love them, I promise.” Pearl was determined to call in a few favors with Alaska, if that was needed to get Laila’s career moving.

“A party for a makeup line?”

“Yeah. The gift bags will be full of samples.”

Laila snorted. “Okay, of course I’ll go with you. Just please don’t make me talk to Miss Fame again.”

“It’s a deal!”

“Alright, you’re almost done.”

Pearl opened her eyes to Laila taking a step back, admiring her creation in sharp mirror lights, a smile playing on her full lips. She leaned in for some finishing touches, overwhelming Pearl with the scent of her new perfume as she applied lipstick on her, and Pearl couldn’t look away from her smooth skin, curtains of eyelashes and fading blue hair. How did she get so lucky? An unexpected wave of arousal washed over Pearl, the blonde clenching her thighs to get herself in check.

“Ta-da! You’re done. You can look now!” Laila stepped away, stirring Pearl out of her thoughts.

Pearl’s jaw dropped when she saw herself in the mirror. She looked so different than usual, Laila really transforming her and underlining different aspects of her face than Pearl usually did. Her eyebrows were harsher, her cheek contour higher. She was less a classic Hollywood glamour, and more a fierce badass, for lack of a better word.

“So? Do you like it? You’re not saying anything, you hate it, don’t you? Are the eyebrows too much?”

“What the fuck, Laila, how could I hate it? I look fucking badass. It’s wonderful, you’re wonderful and I love - “ Pearl caught herself, terrified that she almost told Laila she loved her in such a stupid, rushed manner, her heart speeding in her chest just like at the very beginning of their relationship. “This. I love this.”

“You bitch, the silence fucking scared the shit out of me.” Laila slapped Pearl’s arm, relief on her face. “Are we ready to go now?”

“We are. And thank you. I look stunning and I’m so lucky to have you, BonBon.”

“Stop it.” They hugged, careful not to ruin their faces or hair, and headed for the door.

***

Bianca sat up in bed, glasses perched on her nose, typing away on her laptop. Courtney curled next to her, scrolling through Instagram on her phone.

“Huh.”

“What is it, baby?”

“Oh, just this kid I went out with in high school is getting married. Crazy.”

“Wondering about what might’ve been?” Bianca teased.

“GOD, no, Travis is…well, he was a major dickhead.” Courtney thought back, and then shivered, putting it out of her mind and wondering why she was following him.

“It sounds like you dated a lot of those.”

Courtney laughed dryly. “Yeah. I guess Adore told you about some of my history, huh?”

“Well, I had to do my research, baby.” Bianca shut her computer and took off her glasses, taking Courtney’s hand in hers.

“They weren’t all assholes, really. But they were all…I don’t know, what I thought I was supposed to like. Instead of what I actually liked.”

“Big dumb jocks?” Bianca kissed the inside of her wrist.

“Basically.” She ran her fingers through Bianca’s hair. “What about you?”

“What about me?”

“I mean…you’ve had a lot more…relationships–”

Bianca snickered at the word “relationships” and Courtney rolled her eyes.

“…Okay, sex partners–”

“More accurate,” Bianca agreed.

“–than me. Anyone…really special?”

“Nahh,” Bianca put her fingers into her mouth and sucked gently on them.

“Okay, well…anyone I might know?” Courtney pursed her lips.

Bianca cleared her throat, totally thrown off for a second, and then immediately recovered. “What…uh, no. No one you’d know.”

Courtney crossed her eyes. “B, I’m not a child. You can tell me the truth. Who? Someone from work? I know Raja’s gay, did you ever…”

Bianca flinched and Courtney frowned. She supposed this wasn’t a great time to lie. “I mean, you know. I’ve been friends with her for over 20 years. One night, when we were super drunk… It was basically hate sex.”

Wrinkling her nose, Courtney muttered, “Gross.”

“Gross?” Bianca laughed. “I mean, I know she’s not your favorite person, but she was a supermodel. I’ve done much worse.”

“Not everything is about looks,” Courtney said pointedly, rolling her eyes.

“Okay. Well…sorry. I was basically a giant slut for a lot of years.”

“Yeah, I know. So who else?”

“Who else what?”

“Don’t avoid the question, B. Who else have you slept with that we both know?”

“Uhhhh…”

Courtney racked her brain for the gay women she knew from work. “Phi Phi? Alaska? Ew, PEARL?!”

Chuckling, Bianca shook her head. “I didn’t fuck Pearl, and if I had, I can promise you she wouldn’t have dated my baby sister. At least not without me killing her.”

“Ooh, such a tough mouth,” Courtney teased, cuddling up to her. “Okay, so who? It’s obviously someone I know.”

Bianca blanched. She knew this was not going to be welcome news, and it was so long ago…why did it matter? It had nothing to do with the present.

“Tell me, B…” Courtney demanded, biting her neck.

“Okay, okay, but you have to promise you won’t get mad.”

“I promise I won’t get mad.”

“Uh…okay, so like a VERY long time ago, when we were all in our 20s…I sort of had a very BRIEF thing with Fame.”

Courtney opened her mouth, but nothing came out.

“It wasn’t like a relationship or anything. She was already with Patrick, but she was…well, whatever, it was just sex.”

“YOU FUCKED MISS FAME?!”

“You said you weren’t gonna get mad.”

“I LIED!”

“Baby, please–”

“Of course my lie was MINISCULE compared to your lie!”

“Wait, what?”

“B, how could you not tell me this? We were…she was my…” Courtney’s eyes filled with tears.

Bianca pulled her close, tried to lighten the mood. “Well, I would’ve called you, muffin, but you were kinda busy. Learning your multiplication tables.”

“That’s not funny, B!”

“It’s a little funny.”

Courtney pulled away from her and crossed her arms, willing the tears not to fall down her cheeks.

“Honey, when should I have told you? When we first met? ‘Nice to meet you, Courtney, and by the way, I fucked your boss.’ When I was trying to figure out if the hot straight girl was flirting with me? When I kissed you and thought you hated me? To be honest, I don’t really think about it. It happened a few times and then we went back to just being friends and that was more than fifteen years ago.”

“How many times?”

“Huh? I don’t…I don’t know…like three or four? Honestly, I don’t remember. It wasn’t like it ever happened sober.”

Courtney pressed her lips together. She didn’t know how to feel. On the one hand, she’d just found out that the woman she was falling in love with had been with a person who’d basically tormented her for months. On the other hand…it wasn’t like Miss Fame was a bad person. She was actually a pretty nice person, if Courtney was honest. She just needed something that Courtney didn’t have, and frankly didn’t want to have.

“Baby? I’m sorry. I haven’t…I haven’t tried this, like, a real relationship, for a very long time. I fucked up, okay? Please forgive me.”

Courtney took a deep breath, looking into Bianca’s beseeching eyes.  _A real relationship._  She suddenly got that fluttery feeling, and all she wanted was to be back in Bianca’s arms. She softened and Bianca reached for her.

“Besides, Fame’s probably never gonna speak to me again. She completely ignored me in Europe for almost a month.”

“Why’s that?” Courtney’s voice was muffled by her shoulder.

“Uh, because I encouraged her assistant to quit right before Fashion Week.”

“Oh. Right.”

Bianca laughed. “She fucking told me to stay away from you, too.”

“Wait, when?”

“I dunno, months ago. She saw me eyeing you up at a party.”

Courtney giggled. “Oops.”

Bianca kissed her gently. “Good thing I never listen.”

***

_COURTNEY: So apparently B fucked Miss Fame._

_ADORE: WHAT?! WHEN!? RECENTLY?!_

_COURTNEY: No. Like the 90s or something._

_ADORE: Oh, yeah, well that doesn’t surprise me tbh. They’ve been friends forever._

_COURTNEY: Is it weird that it bothers me this much??_

_ADORE: Wanna get back at her? Make out with me._

_COURTNEY: LOL_

_ADORE: Not a joke ;P_

_COURTNEY: Actually that reminds me, I have a proposal for you…_

***

“Okay, so we have flatbread, carrots, cucumber, our cheese platter and hummus. Have we forgotten anything?”

“Nope!”

Violet was sitting on the floor on a pillow in Betty and Shane’s apartment, their TV running in the background on mute. Violet loved being in that place: it was small but cozy, the space filled with little knick knacks and trinkets, the entire thing one big warm mess of Betty and Shane mixed together, the apartment full of their life and their love.

“The dessert is in the oven in 3, 2, 1!” Violet heard the oven door slamming shut, Shane walking into the living room with his oven mitts on, a bottle of wine in each hand before he dropped down into the couch. The commercials had already started, and Violet was buzzing with excitement.

The buzzer rang and Betty went to open the door, letting in Sutan who had been down on the street to get in a smoke before the third episode of the new season of Project Runway.

Sutan, Shane and Betty all sat down on the couch, Betty quickly cuddling into Shane’s side as Violet leaned back to rest between Sutan’s legs, her head resting on his thigh, their fingers intertwining over Violet’s chest.

The episode rolled over the screen, and both Betty and Violet were torn between chatting away and keeping quiet to enjoy the show. The designers were doing a day to night design for a woman on the go, and hearing the girls critique it and give their own suggestions made up for the fact that Sutan cared very little about the poorly done and rushed designs that this kind of competition fostered. The first commercial break soon rolled over the screen.

“Oh, my, God, can you believe he’s using leopard print? Leopard, does he think we’re in 2003?”

“I know, and wool? Girl, do you want to go home?”

Violet nodded enthusiastically, her hand covering her mouth as she was eating a carrot, now that there was a commercial break.

“It’s so sad because a structured front and a good cut could easily carry you through!”

“Made in black velvet?”

“Shut up!” Violet laughed, pushing at Betty’s leg, the fact that she had submitted a boring pantsuit back in November still an endless source of material for teasing for Betty.

Sutan’s hand was resting at her neck, the guys talking as the girls were play-fighting and arguing about what had happened on screen..

“Uh, uh, wait! Everyone!” Violet sat up, a smile on her face since the last commercial had just run over the screen. “The episode is starting again. Everyone be quiet.”

“Mata indah, you’re the one who is making the most noise.” Sutan kissed Violet’s head, the girl giggling, not even caring that he was right.

***

“KELLY!!” Detox’s voice bellowed from the bottom of the steps. “It is fucking dinnertime, I’m not going to call you again!”

“Don’t say fucking around your children, Matthew,” Juju scolded.

Kelly rolled her eyes and finished typing a text to her friend.

_KELLY: Dinner now. Let’s meet @ 10 - tell the boys to bring weed._

“KELLY! GET YOUR FREAKING ASS DOWNSTAIRS!”

“I’m coming, I’m coming!” she answered, skipping down the stairs to join her family in the dining room. She slid into her seat and smiled charmingly. “Sorry, I was finishing my AP US History homework. You know the test is coming up.”

Juju shook her head. “See, De, she was studying. I told you.” She smacked the back of his head playfully as she passed by his chair with a pot of ratatouille.

Kelly carefully picked the tomatoes out of her salad and lined them up on the edge of her plate. “Yeah, and I need to meet Samantha later to work on our chemistry labs.”

Juju frowned. “How much later? It’s 7:30 already, and give those to your brother if you’re not going to eat them, you know how much he loves tomatoes.”

“Yes mom, and like… I know that it’s late, but you know, Samantha is in the play and they don’t get out of rehearsal until 10. We’ve tried doing it over Facetime but it takes twice as long.” Kelly quickly placed the vegetables on her little brother’s plate, him and Julia still on a separate diet from the rest of the family.

Detox fed some of the rice to Julia, the little girl looking at her big sister with her big round eyes, like everything Kelly did was amazing. “I think it’s okay, hon. You gotta keep those grades up! Will you be home by 12?”

Kelly shrugged, giving her dad an angelic smile. “Ish? We also have a calculus test that we might try to study for.”

Juju sighed. “I don’t have the energy to fight it. If you think it’s a good idea she can do it.” Juju sat down in her chair, her body heavy, a hand on her stomach trying to settle Kelly’s newest sibling so Juju could get some dinner.

“But if it gets even a minute later than 1 am you’re grounded, okay? If something happens, take taxi or call Sutan to take you home, I don’t want you to get hurt.”

Kelly rolled her eyes. “Yes mom. I’m not five anymore, calm down.” She really hoped that this baby was gonna be the last kid her parents had. Maybe it was her, but ever since Juju got pregnant with the twins 3 years ago, they had gotten a lot less fun. Suddenly instead of having the young, cool parents, she’d sympathized with her friends, who’s parents were having change-of-life babies to save their second or third marriages. There was nothing on the planet as mortifying as her mother breastfeeding during her choir recital sophomore year. She’d been so embarrassed that her friend Kirsten had to give her a xanax to get through the night. And then she’d had a little more, washed down with Jack and Gingers, at Slater’s house later on.

“Don’t talk to your mom that way Kelly-cake. Do you have time for dessert before you leave?”

“Can we, can we, can we have ice cream daddy?” Owen had tomato all over his face. Kelly reached over and started to wipe it with a napkin and he screeched loudly.

Kelly rolled her eyes again and put down the napkin as Detox answered, “Not today champ, but there’s pie.”

Juju looked over at Kelly, placing a hand on her hair and stroking it. “Babydoll, why don’t you come by the salon next week? I’ll get one of the girls to freshen up your hair before graduation.”

“Sure.” Kelly started to eat the ratatouille and winced, picking up the salt and pepper and dousing it.

“It’s better with parmesan,” Detox said sympathetically.

“Oh my god dad,” Kelly whined, “I’m vegan, why can’t you remember that?!”

“Sorry, sorry. I forgot you were vegan this week.”

Kelly glowered at him, continuing to season her food.

He laughed. “So apparently, Fame is still pissed at Bianca over this whole assistant nonsense. Raja too. According to Sutan.”  

Juju frowned. “Well, they’re all going to come to Grace’s christening so they better make up.”

Kelly put her spoon down. “May I be excused?”

“Honey, you’ve barely touched your dinner,” Juju said, “And Daddy made a banana cream pie.”

“I can’t eat cream pie, I’m vegan! And I’m trying to lose 3 pounds before prom.”

“Kelly-cake, you’re perfect the way you are!” Detox cried.

Kelly sighed deeply. “Please may I be excused? I need to finish my English paper before I leave for Sam’s or I’ll be up all night.”  _Also I want to pop an adderall in peace._

“Okay honey. See you later. Clear your plate first.”

Juju looked over at Detox as their daughter carried her plate, bowl and glass into the kitchen. “She’s such a good girl,” Juju said proudly.

“She’s amazing,” Detox agreed.

***

Courtney sat in the limo, her heart pounding in her throat. She’d spent hours with Bianca at the salon getting ready, and wore beautiful new clothes, but somehow she was still anxious about being out of place. Bianca took her hand and held it. They’d had a minor fight about this event a few days ago. Bianca wanted Courtney to come with her, but Courtney knew that the room would be filled with people she knew from her short stint at Galactica, and she still got knots in her stomach thinking about how she’d left. She knew they must all hate her.

Everything with Bianca was so amazing, so perfect; it was easy for Courtney to shove that dark period of her life down and not think about it. But the amFAR Gala was a place where her worlds were going to collide. She’d cried, at the time, and Bianca had held her and promised that it would be okay.

“I just want to show off the woman I love! Please baby?”

“The woman…you love me?” Courtney was astounded.

Bianca nodded, whispered, “Yes, so fucking much.”

Courtney had cried harder, but this time it was out of happiness. Relief. She wasn’t the only one who felt that way. She clung to Bianca, kissing her over and over. “I love you too, B. Oh, god, I love you.”

After that, how could Courtney say no? She vowed to face her fears, to face all those people, with the grace that Bianca deserved. But now that they were actually here, pulling up, her resolve started to melt and she felt tears prick her eyes.

Bianca squeezed her hand as the driver opened their door. “Ready?”

Courtney shook her head, but whispered, “I…guess so.”

Bianca tugged gently on her arm, pulling her from the car and onto the red carpet. There was a flurry of flashbulbs. Bianca nodded to the photographers, slipping her arm around Courtney’s waist and guiding her inside. Where all the tigers lay in wait.  _Oh, god._

***

Violet knew it was coming, knew it had to, because nothing in her life was ever fucking easy. She had looked forward to the night, her new dress fitting her perfectly, the night feeling perfectly, and then, there she was. The destroyer of happiness. Courtney Act, the girl who had quit her job, the girl who had left behind months of work, the office in chaos with all the mistakes and all of the mess she had caused. Violet felt nausea rise in her throat, her fingers finding her dress, the fabric getting pulled again and again and again. All of her anger, her hurt and her rage making her feel dizzy.

Bianca had her arms around Courtney’s waist, and whispered something into her ear. Courtney’s eyes lit up with laughter and she turned her face to Bianca, kissing her softly.

Violet turned away. Courtney was worth nothing to her, and she wasn’t going to ruin the night. Violet wanted nothing more than to plant her fist right in Courtney’s perfect teeth, she wanted to pull her hair and call her whore, make her bleed and suffer for all the pain she had forced on Violet. Violet took a deep breath, she knew her anger was tied to the heartbreak she had had to endure when she told Sutan she couldn’t go, her rage tied to the unfairness when she had to yet again be in the front office of Galactica, taking shit from everyone just when she had been so sure she had finally made it over the finish line. Finally ready for the next step in her life.

Even seeing Chad by the bar, looking stunning and radiant in the gown she’d designed and carefully crafted for her, didn’t help erase the sour taste from her mouth.

Violet’s eyes swept the floor, looking for her boyfriend, hoping that his presence would make it all at least slightly less horrible.

***

Bianca spotted her former boss, the wildly eccentric but also secretly genius socialite who had taught her basically everything she knew. Bunny was raised in Jackson, Mississippi, but so counter-culture that the girls in the office started referring to her ironically as “Lady Bunny,” and years later, the name stuck. Bianca led Courtney over to where she stood.

“Bunny!”

“Darlin!” Bunny gave her some air kisses and asked, “Why do you look so happy? Did you just kick a baby?”

Bianca laughed. “Yeah, and then I stole his candy and ran off, cackling.”

“So your typical Thursday.”

“Totally,” Bianca said with a wink. “Bunny, listen, I want you to meet my girlfriend, Courtney.”

Courtney beamed. Bianca had been introducing her that way all night, and it somehow got better every time.

“Well, hi there sugar. And what do you do, girlfriend Courtney?”

She hesitated. What did she do? She certainly didn’t have a job at the moment.

“She’s a singer. She’s recording her first album.”

Courtney didn’t know if she could say “singer” without having made any income from music, but when Bianca said it, a thrill rippled through her. Her heart soared.

“Oh, lovely. And does she speak or do you just talk for her all the time?” Bunny punctuated her sarcasm with a wry smile.

“I didn’t know I was allowed to,” Courtney sassed, winking at Bianca, who grinned.

Bianca then spotted Fame out of the corner of her eye. “I’ll be right back,” she said, “You may continue to speak, baby.”

Courtney giggled. “Don’t be too long.”

“I won’t, I promise,” Bianca nuzzled her cheek.

“Ugh,” Bunny said. “I don’t know if I like you happy.”

Bianca departed, giving Bunny the finger as she went. The older woman guffawed, and then slung an arm around Courtney’s shoulders. “So is she as selfish in bed as she is in the workplace?”

Bianca shook her head, rounding the corner, and found Fame finishing a phone call by the restrooms. “Fame! So nice to see you. I’m so surprised that we didn’t cross paths more in–”

Fame brushed by her, holding her head up, clearly indicating that she wasn’t going to talk to Bianca or even acknowledge her presence.

“–Europe.” Bianca finished.

Fame continued to walk down the long hallway, but Bianca followed right behind her, demanding attention.

“Fame! You can’t fucking avoid me forever, bitch.”

Fame turned on her heel. “Oh really? I’m doing fine so far!”

“Yeah, okay, well I’m not. I kind of miss your dumb pretentious face. So can you knock it off with this pissy little tantrum already?”

“Is that supposed to be an apology?” Fame glared at her, her arms crossed, an angry scowl on her face. “Know what, no, no I’m not going to talk to you, Patrick told me it would be bad for my blood pressure and he’s absolutely right.”

“Hey, hey, Fame. Why would I be apologizing? I didn’t force her to quit. I just helped her out. And by the way, maybe if you hired someone with experience and paid them a proper salary instead of a pretty fresh-faced kid making minimum wage, they wouldn’t be having nervous breakdowns a few months into the job.”

“I know how to run a business. I’ve been doing it for years without your help. What’s-her-face is the only one of my girls who has been unable to handle the pressure, and if you think I’m going to forgive you for taking my assistant, however incompetent she turned out to be, moments before fashion week, you’re wrong Bianca. Actions have consequences and me ignoring you? That’s a small price to pay for treating your friends like that. Have you spoken to Raja lately? Because if you think I’m being ‘pissy’ you should not look forward to her.”

“Please. You know Raja will jump at any opportunity to play Mean Girls with you. You think I take that shit personally? How long have you known me?” Without meaning to, Bianca felt her voice get louder and more aggressive. She took a deep breath.

Fame scoffed and turned to leave again, clearly over trying to make Bianca see things from her perspective, done trying to mend the latest rift between them.

Bianca called after her, exasperated. “Give me a break, Fame! I’m in love with her, okay? So…fuck you, because that never happens for me and you damn well know it.”

Fame stopped walking. She turned back around slowly, narrowing her eyes. “Love? … Did you just say love? You’re not lying to me to get out of trouble, are you? You know how I feel about that Bianca…”

“No, asshole, I’m not lying.”

“Wait…So you’re in love? Really in love?”

“Yes. So…I’m sorry. Okay? Really. Can we please–”

Bianca was cut off by a delighted squeal as Fame threw her arms around her, hugging her tightly. Bianca laughed and hugged her back.

“Wow, really? Okay.”

“I haven’t heard you use the L-word in like ten years. More, maybe.”

Bianca cleared her throat. “I mean, you don’t have to freak out.”

“So are you bringing her to Ibiza?” Fame wondered dreamily, eyes glittering.

“I haven’t asked but…to be honest I didn’t know if you’d still want me there. Much less her.”

Fame rolled her eyes and punched Bianca on the arm. “Of course I want you there. It’s the family trip, families fight sometimes.”

“And Courtney?”

“We’ll make it work Bianca, oh I’m so happy for you my darling.” Fame placed her hands on Bianca’s cheeks, giving the woman a sweet, brief, closed-mouthed kiss.

Courtney rounded the corner and saw them, stiffening slightly. Bianca waved her over and she approached slowly, eyes full of dread. Bianca nodded in her direction and Fame turned around.

“Hello Courtney. How have you been?” Fame looked at Courtney, her expression losing a lot of its warmth as her eyes focused on the blonde.

“Hi, miss,” Courtney said timidly. “I’ve…been…” Her breath hitched. “Miss, I’m really sorry for–”

“Your apology is meaningless to me.” Fame waved her hand. “It’s in the past, and nothing can be changed. Now, how do you feel about Ibiza?”

“I…what?”

Fame laughed at Courtney’s response, her phone ringing from within her bag.  She fished it out and kissed Bianca on the cheek. “I better go find Patrick, but we should do lunch next week, B.”

“Sure thing. Oh, and Fame?”

Fame turned around. “Yes?”

Bianca put an arm around Courtney. “Tell Raja to choke on a dick.”

“I will not!” Fame laughed again, shaking her head as she headed back into the party.

“What was that all about?” asked Courtney, still a little dazed.

“Nothing, baby.” Bianca kissed her cheek. “It’s all good.”

***

“You WHAT?”

Fame drummed her nails on the desk, patiently waiting for Raja to calm down and stop pacing.

“I don’t understand! I thought we were on the same page here! What the FUCK, Fame?”

Fame sighed. “So I take it that means no to lunch?”

Raja turned around, narrowing her eyes. “Yeah, no, I don’t want to go to lunch with you and Bianca del fucking Rio. I can’t believe you let her manipulate you into forgiving her.”

“Manipulate me?”

“Yes! She’s always had some kind of weird control over you.”

Fame closed her eyes briefly. “Believe it or not, Raja, I am in control of myself. Give me a little credit, here.”

Raja crossed her arms and glared across the room. “I don’t trust her.”

“Did you ever?”

“I mean…maybe not. But how could you forgive her? Just like that?”

“You really want to know, or you want to keep lecturing me about how I’m weak and gullible?”

“I didn’t say that.” Raja looked mildly chagrined. 

“You didn’t have to. I know what you’re thinking. And I would think that you, of all people, would know that I’m capable of making my own decisions.” She picked up her purse. “I’m heading to lunch. Obviously I know you’re not coming, but I wanted you to know that you were welcome.”

Raja dropped her head to the desk. “I don’t like it when we’re on different sides. It makes my skin crawl.”

“Yeah well, me neither. But I’m not gonna hold a grudge for no reason.”

“NO REASON!?”

“Goodbye, Raja. See you later.” Fame sailed out the door.

***

Bianca was already seated, typing out a message on her phone, when Fame arrived. She looking up with a big smile and put her phone down. 

Fame greeted her with a few air kisses. “Hi, how are you doing?”

“I’m great!” Bianca pulled her in for a real hug, squeezing her tightly. “What about you?”

“Can’t complain.” Fame smiled back as she slipped into the booth. She was sad, annoyed and also a little worried that Raja wasn’t there, the woman’s words still ringing in her mind about Bianca manipulating her.

“So…”

“So?”

Bianca cleared her throat. “I love the line this season. I mean it’s just…it’s stunning.”

“Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.” Bianca took a sip of her water and gave a small, tiny sigh.

“What’s wrong?”

“Are we okay? Like…really?”

Fame looked into her eyes, a little taken aback by Bianca’s question. “I think so…I mean, I’m okay. I just…”

“Yes?”

“Nevermind, it doesn’t matter. What do you want for appetizers? I’m in the mood for salmon today, have you tried it? Juju told me this place was great, I mean before she got pregnant again. Have you heard they’re considering names?” Fame desperately tried to change the subject as their waiter approached. 

Bianca let her off the hook for a minute while they ordered, and then folder her hands on the table and looked straight into her eyes. “Fame, what’s going on?”

“Nothing, it’s okay, I can’t talk to you about it without you giving me judgey eyes anyway so let’s just have a nice lunch and enjoy each other’s company.”

Bianca chuckled gently. “I’ll save my judgey eyes for another time. Promise. Go ahead.”

Fame took a deep breath. “I’m scared you didn’t actually mean what you said, or… Patrick and Raja think you tricked me, and honestly… I mean, you could… You’ve always been ruthless and practically heartless and I’ve always thought I, that we… That all of us were more to you than that, and then it turns out we’re not and it… I really trusted you B, and I thought you trusted me too. No, know what, no. We’re having lunch and we’re not talking about this anymore. How are your dogs? Charles misses going to the dog park with them, do you want to meet up some time during the weekend? We can go to the farm too if you want, remember how happy Sammy was last year when he got to play in all new crisp snow?”

“Fame. Listen. I want you to know something. I never, for one second, intended to hurt you. I’m really sorry. I am. I honestly thought…this is gonna sound stupid in retrospect, but at the time, I thought you’d be HAPPY to see her go.”

Fame laughed.

“I’m serious! Like, it seemed like she was this burden and you didn’t want to fire her but it wasn’t working for either of you. Obviously I should have talked to you. That’s clear. I’m…I am sorry that I didn’t. But somehow in my mind, I was trying to stay out of it, as much as possible, and when you got a new assistant, I was gonna talk to you about my feelings for her…by the way, that’s all they were at the time. We didn’t hook up until after I came back from Europe.”

“Really? That’s the longest seduction of your life.”

“I know! Or…I mean to be honest, it wasn’t really like that either. I wasn’t trying to seduce her. I was trying to figure out why I couldn’t stop thinking about her every second of the day. I was…god, it was fucking torture.”

“I can’t believe you went without sex that long!”

Bianca flashed her dimples impishly. “Well I didn’t say that. Don’t get crazy.”

Fame burst out laughing.

“But anyway…I guess I could be lying to get out of trouble. I’ve done douchier things, that’s for sure. But there’s no way to prove it so I just…I hope you’ll spend some time with us. You can see for yourself. I want you to believe me, but I’m not gonna…I’m not gonna be defensive here. I get why you might doubt me. It’s my own fault.”

“I’ve never heard you this sincere. Is this Courtney’s influence? If so…maybe I might even approve?”

Bianca laughed. “Maybe? She’s making me read a book about Buddhism.”

“Does she know you’re a staunch atheist?”

“Yeah. But she’s trying. It’s so cute. And Buddhism kind of…can work with atheism, believe it or not. I don’t know, I’m trying to be less dismissive.”

Fame shook her head, a small smirk creeping onto her face. “You really do love her.”

“Shut up.”

Fame smiled. “Ok, fine. So have you talked to Juju lately? Now, Raven told me they might name the kid Suri, you know, like that Tom Cruise kid, or East West because of their different heritage inspired by the Kardashians but I’m not sure if she was joking, I hope she was and she was pretty drunk, I haven’t really had the courage to call Juju and ask, I mean, there isn’t really a good angle for a question like that-”

“Hey Fame?”

“Yes?”

“I missed you, but shut up and eat your salmon.”

***

Trixie could feel it, the lightning firing up and down his spine, the tightness in his balls making him gasp and moan, Katya’s tight grip so utterly perfect, his amazing fiancée always taking such good care of him. Oh, oh fuck, oh fuck, he was so close, so close, Trixie was just about to tell Katya he was going to come, a broken moan leaving him and then, everything stopped and Trixie plummeted to the ground, the fireworks gone.

Trixie opened his eyes, about to ask what the fuck happened, when he saw Katya was crying. Trixie sat up, horrified about Katya’s tears, until he realized that she was looking at the TV.

“Oh god Trix, it’s so sad, he never knew his parents, look at him, he’s so tiny and fragile he just wants his mommy and daddy.” Katya had grabbed one of the tissues from the box on the bedside table, and Trixie felt a stab of regret since it was Katya’s tears and not his sperm that was being wiped off, his heart clenching immediately afterwards at his horrible thought since Katya started crying even harder. “What if we die? What if we die and little avo baby gets sold to a grocery store and someone buys him and makes him into guacamole?!”

“Hey, hey, it’s okay, it’s just fiction Katya.” Trixie wrapped his arm around her. He had forgot to turn off the movie they were watching when Katya’s hand had sneaked into his pants, which was stupid stupid stupid.

“How can you say that?! Harry Potter is  _not_  just fiction! Oh god I can’t even look at you right now.”

“Shit, fuck, I’m sorry. Let’s just calm down.” Trixie took a new tissue, quickly dabbing away at Katya’s tears. “I’m sorry okay. Harry Potter-”

“And his pain.”

“Harry Potter and his pain is very real and important, and I apologize, and nothing will happen to avo baby if we die, and he will not be made into guacamole okay. If anything happens to us he’ll go to Fame and Patrick and if that doesn’t work out Fame promised me he would go to her parents so if worse comes to worse he’ll grow up happy in the sun and become a chicken nerd like Fame. Nothing bad is going to happen to our baby, okay?”

“You promise?” Katya looked up at Trixie, her eyes swollen and red, and Trixie couldn’t help but lean down to kiss her.

“I promise, now let’s watch the rest of this stupid movie.”

“Excuse me?”

“I’m sorry, let’s watch the rest of this movie that is a part of a franchise that defined millions of readers.”

“That’s better.”


	28. Chapter 28

“Where are we going?”

“You’ll see.”

“Sutan, I’m serious, where are w- Wait a second, Is that the Lincoln tunnel?!”

Sutan smiled and pressed down on the gas pedal. Sutan had no idea why, but Violet had been in a bad mood lately, his normally happy, funny and loving girlfriend turned into a sullen and sad shadow of herself ever since the amFar gala. Sutan had no idea what had happened, but he knew something had, the annoyance that was reading off of Violet one of the strongest emotions he had seen from her in days, but he wasn’t going to give up the secret of where they were going just yet.

“Guess you’ll have to be patient and wait to find out..”

“Fine.”

Violet crossed her arms and looked out the window at the scenery that went by, the car humming away underneath them as they made their way to New Jersey.

Violet knew she should have been suspicion when Sutan texted her and told her to meet him at his apartment in jeans and flats, but she had shown up anyway, figuring she still owned him for the surprise date she had sprung on him.

Sutan placed his hand on Violets knee and after a moment she took it, their fingers intertwined, Violets pale skin a contrast to his own. If Sutan was perfectly honest with himself, he wasn’t sure their little outing was a good idea. He had looked all over the web, making phone call after phone call until he was sure he had found the perfect place to surprise Violet.

After an hour and a quick starbucks stop, Sutan pulled up to something that, to Violet, looked exactly like a farm, the houses, the lawn and the naked fruit trees all making worry collect in her stomach. She had never seen pictures of the farm, had only heard Fame talk about her home out of the city, but she hoped with every part of her being that this wasn’t it. She was a city girl down to the bone, and the idea of spending a day in nature was practically her worst nightmare.

“Sutan? Where are we? What is this? Is this some kind of joke?”

“Get out of the car and I’ll show you.” Sutan smiled, jumping out of the car himself, not a doubt in his mind as he walked around to open the door for Violet.

Violet bit her lips, not sure she was liking this surprise. She knew Sutan would never intentionally hurt her, but she had no idea what was going on and it worried her. Violet stepped out of the car and took Sutans hand, the two of them walking up to the house together. Sutwan was just about to ring the doorbell, when Violet grabbed his hand to stop him.

“Am I going to like this? Be honest… Please Sutan.”

"Oh lovely eyes.” Sutan smiled and pressed the bell. “You’re going to love it.”

Violet heard them before she saw them, the doorball all making them run towards the sound.

An elderly lady with white hair opened the door, and an practical army of pugs came running out into the fenced in yard.

“Hello, and welcome to my home!”

“Oh my god!” Violets hand flew to her mouth, her eyes and her mind completely overwhelmed at the 2, 5, 6, 7, 11,  no, wait, 13 different pug puppies running around their feet.

“Come on, come on in

The lady guided them inside where there were even more of the small dogs, from pups to grown dogs as well as proud mommys and daddies taking care of their babies.

Violet looked at Sutan, and he couldn’t help but laugh at the expression of genuine excitement on her face.

“Go on.”

Violet nodded, now finally understanding why Sutan had asked her to wear jeans, all of it making sense. She sat down on the floor, clearly already lost in her own worlds as the dogs ran to her, all of them wanting to get petted, laughing as the sweet darlings almost tripped over each other to get to her.

“Thanks you for allowing us come here. It means a lot.”

“It’s no problem.” The woman looked up at Sutan, a smile on her face. “It’s good for the dogs to get socialised, and your wife seems like a lovely person. I was sure you were exaggerating on the phone but I have never seen anyone so genuinely happy to see the pugs in my kennel.”

"She does, she really really does….” Sutan looked at Violet who was laughing and playing with the dogs, holding a big black one up, trying to keep it from eating her makeup as she spoke to it, playing with the eager animal. He knew he should probably correct their host since Violet wasn’t his wife, but for some reason he couldn’t bring himself to correct her, the thought of Violet as his wife causing a warm sensation in his chest.

“Do you want something to drink? I have tea and coffee, but are you perhaps a lemonade man ?“

"Know what, let me try some of that lemonade, and maybe a glass for Violet too. I’m sure she’d love it.” Sutan smiled and the woman laughed, the two of them going off to set everything up.

Violet was torn away from the game she was playing, one of the dogs aaaaalmost learning to roll over with a gentle push of her hand and a soft command, when her boyfriend’s voice broke her concentration.

"Violet, come here.”

“But…. There are puppies.” Violet looked up at Sutan and the lady who they had learned was named Margaret. She knew she was being irresponsible, but she just wanted to play, not sit down and have tea like a stupid adult.

“Violet, come on.” Sutan smiled. “Look at how much care our host has taken to prepare a nice afternoon tea for us.”

Margaret had filled the low coffee table with drinks and cakes, and Sutan was already on his second cup while had continued to play.

“Fiiine.”

Violet stood up, quickly brushing the dog hair off her clothes in an attempt to look representable for their host, but it didn’t help all that much, the short white hairs from the pets still on her black sweater. Violet came over and sat down at the table, Sutan quickly pouring her a glass of lemonade while Violet shook hands with Margaret, actually saying a proper hello.

“So… You know this place?”

“Yes, I do.” Margaret nodded, a smile on her face.

“She owns one of the biggest and most respected kennels in the state of New York.”

“I try to make sure that all pugs will be as healthy and strong as they can possibly be. I have to admit, when your husband called I thought he was kidding. I mean, I don’t run a petting zoo, but he was very insistent and swore up and down that he knew someone who had to come visit. I have to admit it also helped that he offered a very charitable donation to the animal sanctuary I run as well. He’s a good man.”

“Sutan isn’t my husba-” Violet felt something against her leg, and when she looked it was a tiny pug puppy, the little thing wagging it’s tail as it stood against her leg and Violet realised she hadn’t seen this specific one before.   
“Oh hello darling, yes hello.” The dog yipped, it’s little tail wagging. “Yes I’m talking to you, yes I am yes I am.”

Violet looked at Margaret for permission to pick up the dog even though she was at the table. Thankfully Margaret just smiled and nodded so Violet picked up the tiny thing who instantly yipped, trying to get close to her face to say hi to her.

“Hello sweetheart!” Violet smiled, gently putting it down so the dog could run around in her lap and get a little of it’s energy out so she could pick it up again and nestle the puppy against her neck, the pug instantly calming down as it was nestled into Violet’s shoulder.

“Ah, yes, that’s Frida. She’s quite the little charmer and has a lovely personality, but she’s the runt of her litter so I haven’t found a good family for her yet.”

“Well.. What happens then? I mean, if you can’t find any?” Violet was petting the dog, her hand going down it’s back again and again, it’s fur so soft against her palm. “Does she get to stay here with you?”

“No, unfortunately not… She’s too small to breed on, and she’s such a little thing, the others could easily crush her if they weren’t supervised, it simply wouldn’t be responsible so she’d have to get put down.”

“What?!” Violet knew it had to happen, pugs were a sickly breed and the genes had to be protected, but it didn’t make the fact she had just learned any easier to bear. She couldn’t believe that the small thing she held in her hands, the little breaths against her neck and the tiny heart she felt would have to stop beating, all because no one wanted her.

Violet felt tears well up in her eyes, completely overwhelmed at the thought, the small puppy whining as it felt Violets distress. Violet didn’t know what to do, she couldn’t let that happen, she couldn’t let little Frida die, but there was no way she had enough money to buy the dog, a pug from a good breeder easily costing 2000 dollars, not counting vaccinations, toys, food, all the things a dog needed to be happy.

“We’ll take her.”

“We will?” Violet looked at Sutan, the tears only barely kept at bay. She knew her voice was embarrassingly small, she knew she was being idiotic, but she couldn’t help it, joy rushing through her now that she knew the dog would be okay. She leaned in, kissing her boyfriend, leaning against him. They were doing this. Her heart was telling her it was the right thing to do, but her mind was screaming at her with anger, asking a million question. How they would make it work? Where Frida would live? Who would care for her when they were at work? They didn’t even live together, the entire thing was insane, but then, Sutan made it all go away. Three simple words making her feel safe, and loved, and heard, like everything would be okay.

“I got you.”

***  
Patrick gently knocked on the door to the living room. His wife was sitting in a chair, the tv running on low in the background as she was going through the catwalk pictures from the Galactica show in her lap, writing corrections on the clothes, rating the models work and how well the designer had done for each individual shoot.

“You’re late.”

“I has an investors meeting with Latham & Watkins.”

“I waited for you but dinner was getting cold so I’ve already eaten. I asked the chef to make you a dish in case you were hungry, it’s in the fridge.”

“Thank you.”

Patrick sat down on the armrest, leaning in to give Fame a sweet peck, his wife answering with a smile on her lips.

Fame scratched Charles behind the ear, the big dog resting with it’s head in Fame’s lap.

“I think we should find another dog walker. She took poor Charles through the new asphalt on Hubert street, even though the housekeeper specifically told her not to do it under my instructions, I even had Roxy call to double check. What if something happened to his paws and he’s in pain?” Patrick looked at the dog, Charles looking as happy as a clamp since he had both mommy and daddies full attention.

“I’ll take him to the vet tomorrow before work, won’t we buddy?” Charles woffed excitedly at being called buddy, his head still in Fame’s lap even though his tail was whipping back and forth, the dog very well trained. Fame moved her hand and Charles sat down, his tongue hanging out.

“Good boy.”

Charles woffed again, estatic with the praise.

“Want to go for a walk? He looks like he could use it.”

Fame took a moment to consider, before she nodded. “I’ll finish this up while you eat and then we can go.”

“Yes miss.” Patrick saulted her, and Fame laughed.

“Remember your place stable boy.”

“Of course my queen.”

***  
*

“Pearl, you want nachos?” yelled Laila. Pearl was sitting on a bus stop bench super unhappy and still kind of drunk. She had misplaced her purse sometime during the night, leaving the two of them stranded somewhere in Queens without enough money to order a cab. Laila had some spare change in her pockets but that was it, this sad bus stop food truck the only thing keeping them alive. The bus was due to arrive in twenty minutes.

Laila loved dates with Pearl.

“Sure! Extra cheese!”

Laila bought nachos, the cold air creeping underneath their skimpy party clothes. The winter was mostly over, but it was still anything but warm outside, and she would much rather be home and in bed by now. She blinked sleep away, alcohol buzzing in her veins, and sat on the bench next to Pearl, not sure if her girlfriend was sad or pissed or both.

“That sucks, Laila, I wanted you to stay at my place tonight.” Pearl’s face was the embodiment of the sad emoji. From where they were, the buses went only Laila’s neighbourhood, and she was the one who still had her keys.

“It’s okay, next time. Turbo would miss me too much, you know.”

Munching on nachos, Laila observed Pearl eating as well. Three minutes and no more than a few nachos in, Pearl stood up and tossed the almost full package into the trash can.

“What the fuck, Pearl?!”

“What? I’m done.”

“How much did you have? Like six? You know I paid for those, right?”

“It’s okay, I’ll give you the money back, Jesus, chill.” Pearl reached for her pack of cigarettes, but realized she had no lighter either and put them back with a sad grimace.

“That’s not the case! You do it all the fucking time, Pearl! You throw food away all the time. We get food, you eat three bites and you’re done! Do you realize how disrespectful that is?”

“Can you, like, please chill, babe? I’m sorry I threw the nachos out. Won’t happen again.”

“Bullshit, it will! Remember the powerbars?” At that point, Laila was really pissed off. Did Pearl even know Laila had to work for almost an entire hour to be able to buy these nachos? Did Pearl ever know what’s it like, not being able to afford something?

“I didn’t throw them out, it’s not my fault you ate them all before I got around to it!”

“Just because you have money doesn’t mean you get to behave like a complete asshole.”

“I’m not! I said I was sorry!”

“Shut up, the bus is here.”

As they boarded the bus, Laila buying them tickets with the last of her money, she didn’t even sit next to Pearl, but in front of her. She was boiling up inside, suddenly very vividly remembering all the cases of Pearl throwing away good food. Examples started popping up in her head: them going out for Chinese, Pearl pushing away the plate halfway through to start gushing about Laila’s band’s last concert. Pearl buying the two of them McDonald’s only to bite her burger twice and hide it in a pile of wrappings on the tray. Pearl picking only mozzarella cheese out of a salad during dinner with her roommates. Pearl -

“Are you gonna be mad at me now?” asked Pearl, putting her hand on Laila’s arm, the smell of her perfume reaching Laila’s nose.

“Maybe.”

“Okay. Whatever you want.”

Before they got to Laila’s stop, Pearl has fallen asleep and Laila had to shake her up a little to wake her up. They didn’t speak while walking to Laila’s apartment. They didn’t speak when they got there either, taking their clothes off in complete silence. Laila was ready to send Pearl to the couch for the night, but she didn’t have a couch.

She went to the bathroom to brush her teeth, highly hoping that Pearl would be asleep before she returns, but Pearl wasn’t. She was sitting on Laila’s bed, fully dressed, face illuminated by a bedside lamp, tears in her eyes, ignoring Turbo rubbing against her legs.

“Laila, listen - “

“No, you listen, okay? For once in your life, shut up and listen to me. It’s - ugh, it’s pissing me off so much! I don’t work my ass off to buy you stuff you’re just gonna throw away! I know, I know I don’t buy you things that often, sorry, Miss ‘I tip waiters in one hundred dollar bills’, and I’m sorry I can’t buy you food sophisticated enough for your taste!” Laila laughed bitterly, while Pearl looked at her with a hurt expression, her eyes wide. Laila realized she went too far, but there was no way to go back now. She challenged Pearl with a glare, crossing her hands on her chest, something flashing on the blonde’s face as she decided to bite back.

“I don’t tip people to be a dick, and I don’t tip you that much because I want to hurt you, or flaunt my money, or do… whatever the fuck you think I’m doing. You’re not a thing, I don’t try to piss all over you and mark you with my money, I just have them so I use them.”

“Well, you use them like a class A asshole sometimes!” It felt good to release her anger, but only until Laila saw Pearl’s broken expression.

“I’m not - that doesn’t make me an asshole! I just don’t have to eat your cheap, stupid stuff, you’re not my mother and you don’t make the fucking rules.”

“You don’t. Get out.”

“…What?”

“You heard me.” It hurt Laila a bit to see Pearl’s arms drop along her body. She clearly expected a different outcome. “Apologize or get the fuck out, and come back when your attitude has changed.”

“I don’t have nothing to apologize for”, Pearl quipped, going for the door, picking up her bag and turning to Laila one last time only to see her unfaltering stance. “And how about I come back /never/?”

“Whatever works”, shrugged Laila, her heart pounding at the very possibility of Pearl meaning the words she just said.

“Fine.”

“Fine.”

Pearl slammed the door so hard it rattled, Turbo running to Laila in fear as she sat down on the floor, trying to understand what the fuck she just did.

 

***

“Sssh, sssh, I know, baby, I know.” Fame held Pearl, gently rocking the girl back and forth as tears were streaming down Pearl’s face. Pearl had shown up at Fame’s door, banging on the wood, kicking and screaming and yelling for her, desperate with grief, needing Fame like she hadn’t needed her in months.

“She was so mean, and she said all this fucked up stuff and she kicked me out, Fame, she kicked me out even though she knew I didn’t have my phone or my money or keys or nothing, how could she do that? She’s my fucking girlfriend! Girlfriends don’t do, they don’t… They don’t, they don’t do shit like that!”

Fame kept quiet, her hand gently going over Pearl’s hair again, the blond strands slipping through her fingers. Pearl was so fragile, so small, reminding her of the little girl who was pretending to be an adult, the little girl she had seen in a club all those years ago now in her arm once again.

“Here, Pearlie girl, drink this.”

Pearl and Fame both looked up at Patrick, Pearl sitting up, tears still running down her cheeks as she accepted the hot mug of tea Patrick.

“It’s peppermint, your favorite.”

“Thanks…” Pearl took a sip, the hot liquid making her relax. Patrick sat down and Pearl could finally feel calm settling over her, the rage that had carried her from Hell’s Kitchen to Tribeca on high heels, the sun rising as she made her way to the only one who had ever understood her, the only one she could always count on.

“I called all the clubs you have been at tonight, and I found your things, I’m go get them tomorrow.”

Pearl took another sip, Fame’s arms still around her when she leaned over to kiss Patrick, Pearl giggling.

“Let’s get you to bed sweetheart, you can still get a couple of hours before you have to be at work.”

Pearl nodded, her eyes half lidded, the tea making her sleepy as she allowed Fame and Patrick to take her to bed and tuck her in.

***

“Adore!” Courtney spotted her best friend sitting in a booth in Blossom and flew into her arms, wrapping her in a bear hug.

Adore looked at her with a puzzled expression. “I’m sorry, do I know you? You seem familiar, like someone I used to hang out with a long, long time ago–”

“Shut up!” Courtney laughed, punching Adore on the arm.

Adore grinned and hugged her back, squeezing her tightly. “Seriously though, I missed you, bitch.” She looked up at the approaching server, “Hi. Can I get a Mint Fizz?” She gave a seductive wink and released Courtney.

“I’ll have a Pear Blossom, please. Thanks.” Courtney slid over to the other side of the booth. “I missed you too!”

“No I mean, I really missed you. So much that I agreed to have this gross vegan food for dinner.”

“You’ll love it! Their kale salad is amazing.”

“Um, please stop forcing your nefarious kale agenda on me. There’s only one job appropriate for kale, and that is decorating the salad bar at Pizza Hut.”

Courtney shook her head. “You’ve lived in New York for 5 years, how can you still go to Pizza Hut?”

“I’m a garbage person, as your girlfriend likes to remind me all the time.”

Courtney giggled, a faint blush appearing on her cheeks at the mention of Bianca.

“So how are things with you guys anyway?”

Courtney blushed more deeply. “Um…good. Really, really good.” She pressed her thighs together.

“So…like you think this is gonna be more than a fling? Because B…I mean…”

“It’s more than a fling.” Courtney took a sip of water, looking mildly irritated.

“Listen, I’m not doubting the addictive power of your pussy, I just know my sister.”

“Mmm…” Courtney sat back in the booth as the server set their drinks down. “Hi, can I have the harvest kale salad and savory seitan?”

“Sure! And for you, miss?”

Adore simpered up at her, cooing, “Hiiii, what would you recommend for someone who hates vegan food? And really all vegetables?”

“There’s a TGI Fridays in Times Square,” she replied flatly.

Adore burst out laughing. “Touché. Alright…I’ll try the mushroom ravioli and…I’m gonna regret the soy bacon cheeseburger, aren’t I?”

“I don’t know, do you regret that blue hair?”

“OMG, where do you want to go on our honeymoon? Because we are def getting married.”

The server finally cracked a smile. “Don’t worry. The dessert is good.”

Adore winked. “Thanks, peaches.”

She laughed and walked back towards the kitchen.

“You know,” Courtney stated, “If you were a guy, that would be super gross.”

“Well yeah, but I’m not a guy.”

Courtney nodded and gave a small sigh.

“What?”

“What? Nothing.”

“You’re pouting,” Adore pointed out.

“Am not.”

“Are too! Is this about the fling comment? Don’t be mad! I’ve just seen her like, you know…fuck with people. I’m sorry. I don’t want you to get hurt, that’s all.”

Courtney took a slow sip of her drink and then set it down gingerly. “Yeah, well…she told me she loved me.”

“She WHAT?!”

Courtney smiled smugly at Adore’s shocked expression. “About a week ago.”

“And you didn’t TELL ME? Holy shit dude, this is huge!”

Courtney twirled a piece of hair. “Mmhmmm…”

Adore paused. “So…did she say it like…during sex, or some other time?”

Rolling her eyes, Courtney picked up her glass again. “Really, Adore?”

“What! I’m just–Court, sorry.”

“We were both fully clothed.”

“Damn. That’s amazing. So…are you gonna be my sister in law?”

Courtney giggled and said, “Maybe?” with a coy smile.

Adore clapped. “I call maid of honor!!”

“For me or B?”

“Either!”

Courtney laughed and shook her head.

“So is your future wife jealous of this music video make-out thing?”

“It’s not her favorite idea in the world,” Courtney admitted, chuckling.

“But we’re still doing it?”

“Of course! She wants me to be happy.”

“Dude. I love that you’ve gotten her so WHIPPED.”

Courtney giggled again and held up her glass. “Cheers.”

Adore clinked glasses with her. “Cheers, you sassy little muffin.”

***

Violet opened the door to Fame’s office, carefully stepping inside. She had called Roxy earlier the same day, asking if Fame could possibly offer a moment or two on her.

Violet was /so/ happy about her new puppy, but in typical her fashion she had started to worry as soon as the car pulled out and her and Sutan were on the road again. Sutan had held her hand, listening to all of her worries, gently telling her again and again that everything would be okay, gently offering solutions to the problems she posed and sometimes even just listening to her without saying anything as they made their way back to New York.

“Ah, there you are, Violet.” Fame looked up from her papers, a smile on her face. “Close the door behind you please.”

“Yes, miss.” Violet did as Fame asked and walked to her desk. “I… I have a… I guess you could call it a favour.” Violet could feel herself start to sweat. Fame hated when someone took too long, but Violet couldn’t make her words work right.

“Is this about the puppy?”

“Yes!” Violet realised she had just spoke loudly, her fingers going to the bottom of her shirt immediately. She had nothing, no presentation to fall back on, no notes to consult, no carefully constructed piece of clothing that could speak for itself, no nothing to protect her and it was terrifying. “Yes it’s about the puppy… I really… I was hoping… With your permission…”

“Yes and yes, but you’re paying for any damages it does to carpets and walls. You can have the same deal as Trixie and Katya and the baby, but please be neat, it’s very hard to find housekeepers who are willing to clean in an apartment with five adults, please don’t make me make Roxy find one who takes five adults, an infant and pets. Get a certificate that it has been trained and you can take it into work as well, pugs make excellent office dogs.”

“I.. Really? Thank you, miss! Thank you, I… But how? How did you?”

“Sutan called me, told me you were worried.” Fame stood up, a slight smile on her face. “Just do me a favour and show that you’re responsible enough for a pet, and everything will be fine.”

“Thank you!” Violet ran around the desk and hugged Fame, so happy she didn’t even consider the consequences of her actions. “Oh thank you, thank you, thank you!”

 

***

Juju felt like her heart was going to burst with love. She didn’t care that it was the third time this had happened, it was every bit as magical as it all the other times, the fact that she was exhausted and in pain, her body covered in sweat not important at all.

“Hey Grace, hello, it’s so nice to finally meet you.” Juju kissed her daughter’s head. The nurses had cleaned her up before they left, little Grace now laying on her chest, her ear against her mother’s heartbeat, her little hand safely kept in Jujus own as she slept. The birth had been gone as well as it could, Detox holding her hand through it all, a rock she could lean on.

Juju could hear Detox laugh, her husband filming it all so Grace could see it when she was older.

“Isn’t she the most beautiful thing you have ever seen?” Detox snorted and turned off the video. “If Kelly hear that she’ll flip.”

“She was the most beautiful baby in the world too, they all were, they’re all perfect, our family is perfect.”

“You’re perfect.”

Juju smiled and Detox leaned toward, kissing her gently, the two of them watching the newest addition to their family sleeping.

***  
Bianca opened the door to her apartment, setting her bags down on the dining room table, then moving to hang up her jacket. “Courtney! Baby, I brought dinner!”

She walked through the living room, then down the hall.

“Courtney! Are you home, honey?”

“In here, B!” called a voice.

Bianca pushed open the bedroom door, looking around. “Okay, this is cute, but where are you hiding?”

“I’m in the bathroom!” Courtney sang.

Bianca entered, and there, sitting in the jacuzzi tub under a pile of bubbles, was Courtney. “Well hey there, angel. Glad you’re making yourself at home.”

Courtney giggled and scooped up a handful of bubbles, blowing them upwards. “Wanna join?”

Bianca smirked and began to unbutton her blouse.

“Wait!”

“What?!”

Courtney sank down into the water, giving her a coy smile. “Go slower. Strip for me.”

Bianca rolled her eyes. “Baby, I’m not…I don’t really think I can do that sexy thing.”

Courtney scoffed. “You’re not serious, are you?”

“I mean, no, I know I’m good at fucking,” she said with a dry laugh, “But I’m not like…sexy…looking. I mean, maybe I was at some point, but now, I–”

“B…” Courtney began, shaking her head incredulously, “I don’t know how you can say that. You are the sexiest person I’ve ever seen in my life.”

Bianca cleared her throat, not sure where to look, as Courtney’s green eyes smouldered at her.

“Please, B, I’ll help you…please strip for me,” Courtney begged, then bargained, “I’ll make it worth your while.” She sat back, sucking on a finger, batting her eyelashes.

Taking a deep breath, Bianca nodded slowly. “Okay…what do you want me to do?”

Courtney smiled, and tilted her head. “Unzip your skirt, and then take it off. SLOWLY.”

Bianca complied, sliding the pencil skirt down over her full hips until it pooled at her feet., revealing her thigh-high stockings and garters. Satin underpants peeked out from beneath her blouse. She stepped out of the skirt, taking one foot out of her five inch heel.

“Shoes stay on,” Courtney ordered, and Bianca quickly put her shoe back on, kicking her skirt to the side. “Undo one button at a time,” Courtney instructed, biting her lip.

Bianca unbuttoned her blouse the rest of the way, and let it fall off her shoulders. “This okay?” she asked softly.

Courtney nodded, watching Bianca slip her shirt off and toss it to the side. “Bra,” she whispered. She felt a stirring deep in her abdomen, gazing at Bianca’s smooth brown skin, her enticing curves, her long, shapely legs.

Bianca reached behind to undo the clasp and as she removed her bra, she saw Courtney’s breathing speed up. She still felt mildly self-conscious, but seeing the effect she was having on Courtney was intoxicating. “Now what?”

Courtney leaned back against the tub, watching her silently, and slipped a hand down into the water, eyes rolling back as she began to touch herself. Bianca felt a rush of blood to her lower body and for a moment, got a little lightheaded. Courtney opened her eyes back up and looked at her, their eyes locked together.

On Courtney’s soft whimper, Bianca slid her hands from her waist to her thighs, unhooking the garters. She put a foot up on the side of the tub, rolling the stocking down her leg. She pushed her panties down her legs and stepped out of them.

Now in just a garter belt and heels, she leaned over the tub, caressing Courtney’s soft, flushed cheek. Courtney looked up at her with heavy-lidded eyes, squirming as her hand rubbed and rubbed her clit.

Bianca stood up and took off her garter belt, then rolled her second stocking down. She finally stepped out of her heels and took off the stockings, standing there, skin glistening with a light sheen of sweat from all the steam in the room. “Ready for me?”

Courtney nodded, panting hard. Bianca pressed a button as she stepped into the tub and the jets came on, causing Courtney to gasp with pleasure. Bianca lowered her body into the hot water, sitting down facing Courtney, moving closer and closer so that her legs were spread apart. Courtney let her own limbs, toned and slick with coconut oil, wrap loosely around Bianca’s waist. She ran her hands over Bianca’s breasts and then back around her waist, holding her close. “I love you so much. Kiss me, B,” Courtney begged. “Oh god, you are so beautiful. So fucking…” she whimpered.

Bianca pinched her nipples lightly and brushed their mouths together.

Courtney moaned and arched forward, rubbing their bodies together, coming almost immediately. She clung to Bianca’s waist and deepened their kiss, rolling her hips.

Bianca gripped her ass, grinding hard against her, tongues tangling together. When Courtney started to come again, it was almost simultaneous with her own orgasm, waves coursing through her body, sparks rippling down her spine, lights bursting behind her eyelids. “Oh GOD, baby,” she moaned.

Courtney tightened her legs around Bianca’s waist, trembling with desire. “Don’t stop, don’t stop,” she murmured into Bianca’s open mouth, gasping for breath.

Bianca shook her head, bucked against her harder, and moved her mouth down to suck on her pulse point. Courtney’s fingers dug into her shoulders. “Baby, fuck, you are everything good…”

Moving her hands up to Bianca’s hair, Courtney wound her fingers into it, pulling it free from the confines of her French twist to grasp it in her fists. She could feel herself on the edge again and strained against Bianca’s soft, perfect body, which was shuddering with another orgasm. Courtney began to come, too, riding out wave after wave until she was so exhausted that she thought she might black out. Her head dropped to Bianca’s shoulder.

Bianca kissed her hair, moving a hand up to cradle the back of her head. “Baby,” Bianca murmured into her ear, “My love. Sweet angel…”

Courtney whimpered again, tightening her arms around Bianca’s neck. She lifted her head to stare into her eyes, lovingly gazing at her with total adoration. “B, can I…” she began with a shy smile, “…can I please take your makeup off for you?”

Bianca nodded and leaned back, letting the younger girl gently peel off her eyelashes, her graceful fingers rub her skin with coconut oil and then wipe it down with a soft cloth.

Courtney bit her lip. “I don’t know whatever made you think you’re not sexy, but you’re so fucking wrong.”

“I’m never wrong.”

Giggling, Courtney bit her shoulder. “Just this once.”

***

“Oh God, this is delicious!” Katya smiled brightly, the food Violet had brought home was hot and delicious, the chicken perfectly tender and crispy, the rice sticky and the broccoli almost good enough to make her cry, the baby in her belly happily kicking away.

“So what’s the occasion?” Max took a sip of his drink. “I mean, I’m not saying I’m not happy, but why have you dropped…” Max looked at the food, quickly counting the food containers. “200 dollars or so on take away on a night that’s not yours?”

“Well I…” Violet stood up, gently petting down her dress and Katya couldn’t help but smile, Violets nervousness an endless source of entertainment even though everyone could see it was wrecking the poor thing. “I was hoping that I…”

Pearl was picking at her food, not really eating anything when she realised what Violet was doing. “Wait a second, are you bribing us with Chinese food?!” Pearl threw her chopstick down. “Am I eating contaminated food?”

“I’m not bribing anyone, I just… Okay maybe I am bribing you guys. The reason I asked all of you to dinner… Besides the fact that I like you guys a lot is that… I might have accidentally gotten a puppy and I was hoping-”

“A puppy? Do you have a puppy? Is it a pug?” Katya smiled brightly, knowing how much Violet loved the small breed and dogs in general. They had all seen how Violet behaved around them, all of them noticing how Violet basically stopped dead in her tracks when she saw pugs, no matter where she was, her normal fears and worries totally gone as she would happily talk to anyone and break any barrier to ask if she could please pet one of the small dogs.

“I want you to take this in the best way possible, ViVi, but isn’t it a little early to get a dog with Sutan? I mean… You guys haven’t even been dating for a year, and a dog is a big commitment.” Trixie felt horrible, like an absolute villain, but he had to ask since he just wanted to look out for Violet.

“Oh, no, no, don’t worry!” Viole had taken a bite of her food, her hand covering her mouth as she quickly chewed to answer Trixie. “It’s not actually our dog, I mean.. It’s my name on all the paperwork and she’ll live with me, so it’s not like that, I promise, I’m going to be very responsible and take good care of her, honestly.”

Katya smiled and gently placed her hand on Violet’s arm, Pearl still sulking, but none of them knew why her mood had been so bad recently. “We can’t wait to meet her. When is she coming?”

“If I’m lucky she’ll be ready to leave her mommy in a few weeks, I already asked Fame and it’s okay and her name is Frida and she’s this adorable soft fawn color and she’s such a happy little creature and I can’t wait for you guys to meet her.” Violet smiled and everyone laughed, Violet’s joy spreading to all of them, everyone excited for her and looking forward to meet their newest housemate.

 

***

“Should I get the blue one, or the green one?”

Pearl wasn’t really listening as she pushed a cart around, absentmindedly picking at different chew toys. Violet had asked her to come to the pet store with her since they had both been home, Pearl mainly agreeing because she didn’t want to be alone.

“Helloo. Earth to Pearl, I’m talking to you.”

Pearl looked up and saw the blue and green baskets Violet was holding up. “Can’t you just get both?”

“You don’t have to be an asshole… You’ve been acting really weird lately…” Violet placed the baskets in the cart, listening to Pearl though the other had snapped at her. “Are you okay?”

“No.”

“… No? What happened?” Violet held Pearl’s elbow, her hand a comforting presence, the other’s touching making Pearl feel like she was about to fall apart.

“She kicked me out, okay? There’s nothing to talk about.”

“What do you mean kicked you out? Are you talking about Laila? I thought you guys were happy together?”

“Yeah, Laila kicked me out. From her apartment. To the street, at 4 in the morning. No phone, no keys, no money, nothing. No girlfriend, too, probably.” Pearl felt like she was about to cry, her voice thick with emotions.

“But - why, Pearl? Why did she do that?”

“We - we had a fight. I don’t want to talk about this, alright? And I don’t want to talk about her, not anymore, never. Let’s go look at the dog toys. Sorry I wasn’t listening.”

“Pearl, no, this is not alright. You’re clearly sad and broken because of this, maybe you should at least talk to Laila? I mean, she matters to you. You were so happy with her. Are you sure it’s over? Because of one fight?”

“I really don’t know, Vivi.”

“You should find out. Do you love her?”

Pearl stopped to think, her hand touching her necklace, the necklace Violet remembered Pearl got from Laila for Christmas.

“I guess?”

“If you think you love her, even a little bit, you have to go see her. You need to at least find out if it’s truly over. You both deserve closure.”

Pearl had tears in her eyes, but she nodded anyway and embraced Violet. “You’re the fucking best. Thank you, thank you so much. Will you forgive me if I go now?”

“Of course. Go, go chase your dream.” Violet gave Pearls cheek a kiss, the girl running off to go chase her dreams, leaving Violet behind, but it didn’t matter. Pearl had someone else now who was more important.

***

Courtney emerged from the dressing room, twirling as Bianca eyed her up and down appreciatively.

“Damn.”

“You like it? Is it better than the green one?” Courtney smoothed down the colorful skirt.

“They’re both good. Sasha, put this one on the ‘yes’ pile too.”

“Sure, Ms. Del Rio. Also, we pulled some more than we think will look fabulous on her.”

Courtney’s eyes widened at the rack of clothes being wheeled towards her. “Bianca, this is…you’ve spent way too much today, I can’t–”

Bianca’s hands circled her waist. “Okay, so…I guess you don’t want shoes?”

Courtney bit her lip. “Well, maybe…”

Laughing, Bianca pulled her in close. “Thanks, baby. You know I love to spoil you.”

“Yeah, but maybe you shouldn’t. I mean, I don’t want you to think I’m…I dunno…using you?”

Sasha held up a glittering handbag in the shape of a bunch of asparagus tied with a ribbon, and another one that looked like a cupcake with pink frosting. Courtney’s eyes bugged out of her head. “You said you liked sparkly things. These are cool, aren’t they?”

“Oh my GOD they are amazing!” Courtney squealed.

“You like them, honey?”

“Of course, they are cute and sparkly and hilarious, but–”

“We’ll take them, Sasha.” Bianca brushed her lips against Courtney’s neck.

“But aren’t you gonna ask how much–”

“Baby, I edit a fashion magazine. I know how much Judith Lieber clutches cost. You’re so cute.” Bianca winked and released her. “Sasha, can you bring up some shoes that go with these dresses?”

Courtney headed back into the dressing room. “I have no idea where I’m gonna WEAR all this stuff…”

“Court, you’re gonna be a pop star. You need nice clothes.” She handed her two dresses from the rack.

Courtney peeked out from behind the curtains to blow her a kiss. “I feel like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman. But since she was a hooker, I’m not sure if that’s a good thing.”

“Hmm. You’d look really hot in those white boots. Hey, Sasha…”

***

The last couple of days have been a tragedy. Laila kept waking up very early, unable to go back to sleep, frantically checking her phone, her heartbeat accelerating when she had new messages and then slowing down when she realized they weren’t from Pearl.

She hated how her mood became dependent on her relationship with the blonde; that’s what she wanted to avoid so badly. She couldn’t stand losing yet another person that mattered to her. Laila knew she did the right thing calling Pearl out on her bad habits, but her anger evaporated completely by next morning and she wanted nothing more than to make up and make out. They’ve both been drunk, tired and angry, but that wasn’t worth fighting over anymore.

Only Pearl didn’t want the same thing, apparently, because she didn’t call, didn’t text, didn’t show up at Laila’s door. They didn’t break up /technically/, and Pearl still followed Laila on Instagram and didn’t delete their photos together, but Laila feared it was only a matter of time before she did.

She kept going to work like a ghost, empty, losing herself in menial tasks, everything bringing back terrible memories of when she first moved to New York. She took care of Turbo, the small creature the only good thing bringing a sporadic smile to her face, and she decided to never give him up after all. She watched Netflix, staying up as long as she could so she could sleep deep into the day, but she still kept waking up before eight.

It was all pointless. She needed to call Pearl. Or see her. She needed to talk to her.

The time was 10:46 PM and Laila put on her shoes and a jacket, wrapping herself in a scarf that still smelled faintly of Pearl’s perfume. She got so far as her bus stop before she managed to talk herself out of it; Pearl probably wasn’t home anyway, she was somewhere out, partying and drinking and not giving a single shit about her stripper girlfriend (if she even was that anymore). Laila would just show up at her door, pointless and pathetic, bothering Max or Violet, or, even worse, Trixie and Katya who had their own stuff to worry about. So she changed her mind, running back to her apartment, deciding to call Pearl instead. She stared at her girlfriend’s name in her contacts list, cursing herself for being a coward.

She took a break from staring to eat some ice cream.

She took another break to give Turbo his meds.

At 12:07 AM, she decided to text Pearl instead. Before her fingers managed to type the message, deleting and starting over about thirteen times, her doorbell rang and her heart dropped right to her stomach.

Pearl was in her doorway, impeccable as ever, her fingers clasped on the heart of her necklace that Laila gave her for Christmas. “I fucking missed you so much, BonBon. Do you still hate me? Because if you do, I just came to make sure I delete all the work crap off the MacBook. You can keep it, but I don’t really want Legal roasting my ass if you accidentally fuck up our database.”

It cost Laila so much not to fling herself into the other girl’s arms and start kissing the shit out of her. She was both relieved and troubled like never before, realizing she’s going to behave like an adult in this situation. “Come in and let’s talk, alright?”

“Okay, but me first.” Pearl leaned against the kitchen counter, taking a deep breath. “I’m sorry you got mad and I’m sorry I wasn’t, like…paying attention to your needs and stuff. I’m sorry I hurt you, I never meant to. I’ll make sure you don’t pay for my food and, like, I’ll watch out, okay? Especially when I’m drunk, because I know I’m an asshole when I’m drunk sometimes, you were right. Please don’t be mad at me anymore.”

“It’s… it’s not really about that, Pearl.” There were so many things Laila wanted to say, but suddenly she couldn’t seem to form a coherent sentence.

“What is it about, then? I’m sorry that I was lucky enough to be pulled into this world of stuff and things and people wanting to kiss my ass, I know you hate this, I know you don’t feel like a part of this, but you’re with me, you’re mine, isn’t that enough? I don’t expect to get stuff from you. I like your presents, I do, but maybe give me something I want, instead of stuff I can get myself? I don’t know, like, give me a kiss, hold my hand, dude, I don’t need any of that materialistic bullshit.”

It seemed like Pearl was saying all the things she thought Laila wanted to hear. Laila shook her head, blinking back tears caused by Pearl saying /you’re mine/, and said, “Yeah, no. It’s - it’s not that. This is you, this is your world and nothing’s gonna change it. I just feel like you don’t respect what you have, you know? You don’t value how good you have it.”

“…What?” Pearl seemed honestly confused, Laila gathering the rest of her strength to try and explain. “Just because I don’t finish my food sometimes?”

“Try all the time. All the time, Pearl! Whether be it my scrambled eggs or a shitty burger or the most expensive French restaurant in Manhattan, you never eat even half of it, so unless you have some kind of a messed up eating disorder… wait.” Laila stumbled upon an idea she never considered before, but suddenly a light in her brain switched on and it all made sense. “Wait wait wait. Hold the fuck up. Do you have an eating disorder? Is that what’s happening, Pearl? Why didn’t you just fucking tell me?”

“What the fuck? No, I don’t have a disorder. It’s all fine.” Pearl look a step back, looking at Laila from beneath furrowed eyebrows. “I’ve always eaten that way and I’m perfectly fine. I eat till I’m full and then I stop, it’s perfectly normal.”

“Yeah, normal for a tiny bird, probably.”

“Look, my eating habits are just fine, alright? Maybe I eat the appropriate amount and you don’t? I never comment on the amount of junk you consume.” Pearl went full defense mode.

Laila felt a stab at Pearl’s comment, but she didn’t say anything, focused on finding her way out of this mess she put herself into.

“Okay. Okay, okay, I’m sorry. Let’s take it easy. Do you wanna sit?”

Pearl nodded, thrown off and sort of broken-looking, Laila taking pity on her and leading her to bed. They laid down instead of sitting, Turbo stepping on both of them as he tried to find a comfortable position, but Pearl didn’t even flinch when it settled between the two of them. Pearl let out a breathy sigh into Laila’s neck, laying her head on Laila’s shoulder, looking into her eyes for permission before she took her by both hands. “I’m sorry, Laila. I just - I don’t know anymore. Maybe you’re right. It’s just a habit, like, I can’t do differently even if I tried. Maybe the years of modeling did this to me. I don’t know.”

“You know how awful I feel about picking up a fight over this now?” Laila said, meaning it. Pearl was the one who should’ve been mad angry at her, but here she was, in her apartment, having arrived to make nice.

“Don’t”, mumbled Pearl, her hair all over Laila’s face. “But you did kinda threw me out on the street without my phone or my wallet. I walked to Tribeca, you know.“

“Oh my God. I’m so, so sorry.”

“It’s okay. I just, I just really hate fighting with you.”

“Same”, answered Laila, wanting to tell Pearl about how she couldn’t sleep, how her heart raced at every beep of her phone, how she stopped breathing upon sight of every blonde girl walking into Cat Scratch. Instead, she tipped Pearl’s chin up and kissed her long and hard, enjoying the warmth she longed for so much when it wasn’t there. “I missed you, you know.”

“Yeah”, Pearl smiled, still a hint of sadness behind it. “What are we gonna do now, Laila?” she asked, meaning her eating habits, timidly looking up to Laila to help deal with the issue somehow, but Laila couldn’t help, because she didn’t know how.

“I have no idea, baby. I have literally no idea.”

 


	29. Chapter 29

“B, this is my friend Alaska. She’s the greatest!” Courtney exclaimed as Bianca approached them.

Alaska smiled and gave Bianca a huge hug. “So happy to meet you! When Courtney called me to RSVP, she told me all about you. I mean I know who you are, of course, but she told me about…uh, nevermind. We have another friend in common too, I hear you know Jinkx?” Alaska chattered nervously, finishing with another charming smile.

Bianca raised her eyebrows slightly, wondering what exactly Courtney told this girl. “Yeah, I do. I think you also know my sister,” Bianca smirked.

Alaska cheeks reddened. “Oh. Yeah, I…she…”

“Relax. She’s a grown-up, she can make out with whoever she wants. Anyway, Courtney said you’re one of the few people at Galactica that she truly missed.”

Alaska laughed. “Well, I miss her little face too.” She put her arm around Courtney, who beamed. “Although I have to be honest, I’ve never seen it this happy.”

Courtney giggled and rested her head on Alaska’s shoulder. “Thanks, Lasky.”

Bianca smiled, looking at Courtney’s bright, shining expression. Then she saw it crumble, and glanced in the direction Courtney was looking. Fame, Patrick Sutan and Violet were all standing together, chatting back and forth. Bianca turned back to the blonde, who was now trembling slightly. “We gotta deal with them all sooner or later,” she said softly, holding out her hand, silently telling Courtney that she wouldn’t leave her on her own.

Courtney took it and waved a sad goodbye to Alaska, walking a step behind Bianca as they made their way towards the group. She almost didn’t notice Raja and Raven brushing by them, heads high in the air. Shivers ran down her spine. Fame noticed them approaching and smiled widely, which somehow scared Courtney even more.

Bianca slipped an arm around her waist and suddenly she felt grounded. Protected. Calm.

Patrick greeted them first with a kiss on the cheek for each of them. “Hi, Bianca, nice to see you. And Courtney, I’m glad you’re doing well.”

“Thank you,” Courtney said softly, voice barely above a whisper.

Violet held out her hand formally. “Hello Courtney, Ms. del Rio.”

Sutan pulled Bianca in for a hug. “Stranger!” He laughed, happy that it seemed like everyone was going to get along. “I missed your hideous face.”

“Aww, thanks dickhead. I missed your weird mantis-like arms.”

“Nice to know you never change,” Sutan laughed, then turned his attention to Courtney. “Hi there, I’m Sutan Amrull.” He held his hand out, the two exchanging hello. “I don’t believe we’ve met before?”

Courtney cleared her throat. “You told me to fuck off once.”

“Ah, I did, didn’t I.” Sutan said, remembering, bracing himself as Bianca punched him in the chest. “Ow!” Sutan rolled his eyes and smiled before he moved back to Violet side and took her hand.

“So Courtney, tell us what you’ve been up to. Bianca tells me you’re an aspiring singer, now.” Fame took a sip of her drink, watching the new couple.

“Um, yes.” Courtney couldn’t ever tell if Fame was insulting her or not. She supposed that was the point. “I’m working on an album, and shooting a video later this month.”

“Wonderful! Isn’t that wonderful, Violet?”

Violet bristled. The last place on earth she wanted to be was chatting with Courtney Act about her ridiculous music career. But with Sutan’s hand laced with hers, she couldn’t exactly leave. Not without causing a scene. “Yes miss, absolutely wonderful. Congratulations Courtney.” Violet bit her lip in annoyance, the other couldn’t even tell when Violet was insincere, the blonde just grinned back at her like an idiot.

“Fame, this is a cute venue. A lot more color and glitter than we’ve come to expect from you.” Bianca laughed. “I approve.”

“Yes, well, that would be the work of Roxy, my new assistant.”

“You mean your receptionist?” Bianca asked.

“Yes.”

Bianca grinned smugly. “Oh, how nice that worked out. I remember suggesting that very solution back in January… How’s she doing? I always liked her.”

“Mmm. And yeah, she’s great. I mean this party is a little tacky for my taste. It’s more your style,” Fame sipped her champagne coyly.

“Don’t fucking start with me, bitch,” Bianca cackled.

***

Patrick sidled up to Bianca as she ordered a drink. He was relieved to see that Courtney had left her side for the moment, because he wanted to talk to her.

“Sooo…you’re in love, huh?”

“What’s it to you?” Bianca asked, narrowing her eyes, trying not to laugh.

“I mean, that was pretty fucking clever. You certainly know how to play the game of Fame’s forgiveness. Congrats.” Patrick held up his glass to toast her.

Bianca rolled her eyes inwardly. Of course he would still think she was lying to get out of trouble. Manipulating poor sweet little Fame with her dastardly intentions. It wasn’t worth correcting, to be honest. She clinked glasses with him. “Well, thanks dude. Cheers.”

Patrick laughed and shook his head. “She totally believes you.”

“Patrick, honestly, do you have a problem? Because Fame and I don’t, anymore, so I’m not getting your angle here.” Bianca supposed that everyone thinking she was incapable of love was her own fault, but that didn’t stop it from being beyond irritating.

Patrick held up his hands. “Hey, no angle! If my wife is happy, I’m happy.”

“Well, great.”

“Indeed.”

***

Violet was standing in front of a mirror, refreshing her lipstick, when Courtney exited a stall. She smiled widely at her, thrilled that things were okay between them. “Hey Violet!” she sang in a chipper voice, approaching the sink beside her to wash her hands.

Violet avoided her eyes, focusing on her lipstick.

Thinking that Violet hadn’t seen or heard her, Courtney repeated, “Hi Violet! Are you having a good time? Aren’t the new lipstick colors amazing?”

Violet finished and began to speak, still not looking Courtney in the eye. “Courtney. I know you think we’re… I guess you’d say, ‘cool’, but we’re not.” Violet turned around to look at Courtney, ignoring the crestfallen look on her face. “Please don’t talk to me unless we have to…” Violet felt bad, but it had to be said, the boundaries had to be set between them if they had to be around each other. “I promise I’ll never embarrass you in public, and I hope you’ll extend the same courtesy to me… I will not be cruel to you. I realize we’re forced together by unfortunate circumstances, and that we have to spend time together because of the people we have fallen in love with, but I’d like to ignore you as much as I possibly can  and I hope you can understand that.” Violet turned back to the mirror, effectively ignoring Courtney, the blonde like air to her.

Courtney stood for a few moments, heart pounding in her ears, watching Violet sail out the door. So this was how it was going to be? She supposed she deserved it, but genuinely thought that they would be moving forward, turning over a new leaf. After all, it wasn’t like there were too many people under 30 in that room. Shouldn’t they at least TRY to be friends?

Taking a shaky breath, she walked slowly from the bathroom. She saw Bianca across the room talking to Patrick, and headed over slowly, breathing deeply.

Bianca took one look at Courtney’s face and excused herself, hurrying towards her. She wrapped Courtney into a hug. “What’s the matter, baby?”

Courtney sighed. She wasn’t going to tattle on Violet’s vague bitchiness, though she wanted to, but things were already rocky enough with Bianca and her old friends. She would get over it. “It’s nothing. I just…it’s hard to be here, that’s all.”

Bianca pulled back to study her face. “Do you wanna go?”

“No, I’ll be fine. I just need a minute.” Courtney gave her the biggest smile she could muster.

***

Kim twirled a straw in her drink; this was one of the best office parties they’d had recently. Makeup department parties were never as legendary as the ones held by the design department, but this one might be an exception. Roxy really came through on the organization of everything, but especially Kim’s favorite thing: catering. Her eyes wandered over a table of appetizers, from avocado cups to sauteed scallops, trying to decide what to have until she felt someone tapping her arm.

Pearl was grinning at her, dressed, unsurprisingly, in white, but something about her face was different. “Hey girl!” she sang enthusiastically, exchanging a kiss with Kim. “Wow, you look rockin’ tonight. Have you met my better half?”

A girl in question looked away from the avocado appetizers (Kim immediately recognized a sisterly soul in her) and then at Kim, smiling timidly. She was quite curvy and short, even in her heels, her long hair a unicorn blend of blonde, pink and pale purple with dark roots, but Kim immediately zeroed in on her flawless makeup, definitely applied by a very talented hand, her smoky eye an interesting twist on the traditional style. Kim took pride in being able to recognize the work of majority of the popular NYC makeup artists, but Pearl’s girlfriend’s face was a mystery to her.

“Hey, I’m Kim. Who painted you?” She shook her hand, all social inhibitions momentarily gone as she took a closer look at the girl’s face. The girl chuckled uncomfortably.

“I’m Laila. Laila McQueen. I did this - myself?”

“Oh my God. Are you for real?”

“She is! She also did me.” Pearl claimed, standing behind Laila and wrapping her arms around the shorter girl, beaming with pride.

“You guys. No way. Who do you work for? Do you have a degree?” Kim was talking to Laila while examining Pearl’s face and the completely insane way in which the blonde’s eyebrows were done. “Where did you find her, Pearl?”

“I - I work in a bar. I only really do my own makeup, well, now also Pearl’s sometimes, and I - I taught myself. From youtube, mostly.”

“Wow.” Kim was speechless. Maybe she was already sort of drunk and overexcited, but she didn’t care. If that girl was an amateur and a total noob, she definitely had a rare talent. Pearl pulled out her phone and pushed it into Kim’s hand. It was open on Laila’s instagram page.

“Here. Check this one out. And this one. Oh, and this! Remember that, BonBon?” Pearl showed Kim photo after a photo, Laila’s own face transforming into different people in front of her eyes, some photos of Pearl and then one of Trixie’s fiancee Katya, looking red carpet ready.

“You painted Katya?”

“Yeah, she and Pearl forced me to.”

“Damn. Damn damn damn, Laila.” The girl was looked up at Kim like she was waiting for the judge’s sentence. “I’m not saying I’m an expert, but I know someone who is, and if she agrees with me, then you can be sure you have a big, big talent on your hands, friend.”

Laila gave Kim another timid smile and mumbled a thank you, Kim looking around the room to locate a tall nest of blond hair. “Where the hell is she? Oh, there! Alaska! Lasky, you have to meet someone!”

***

Raja strode across the room to the bar. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Bianca with her hands on Courtney’s shoulders, saw her lean in and gently kiss her forehead and cheeks, saw Courtney smile gratefully, looking up at Bianca like she was the center of the fucking universe.

Raja adjusted her angle, heading straight for them with dangerous eyes and a razor sharp focus. “Well, well, isn’t this sweet?” said Raja as she got within hearing distance of her long time friend and her girlfriend. “So happy for you to join us. I haven’t seen you around in weeks.”

Bianca felt Courtney’s shoulders stiffen, her fingers dig into her waist, and whirled around before she even had a chance to see the distressed look on Courtney’s face. “Oh, so you’re speaking to me now? That’s nice. How have you been?” Bianca’s tone was smooth but her eyes blazed.

Raja took a sip of her champagne, thinking if she hadn’t known Bianca for over 20 years, she wouldn’t have stayed this calm. “Did it surprise you that I was avoiding you, B?” she asked with a deceptively sweet smile. “Maybe I’m confused, because I thought you were the genius that told Fame’s only personal assistant to ‘quit your job if it isn’t making you happy,’ so that little snowflake of a girl does, without a phone call, without giving any notice, leaving a gigantic shit show behind that took us a month to clean up.” Raja said easily, looking down her nose at Courtney who seemed to try and shrink back behind Bianca.

Bianca sighed. “Yeah Raja. I did. And if any of you were surprised, it’s because you weren’t paying attention. And guess what? Fame? Is fine. You…are fine. Your spring line is fine. You know as well as I do that a personal assistant has no effect on the overall business–”

“When you remove an object from the bottom of a pyramid, the pyramid collapses. Yes, we’re all fine. Because we are professionals and we pulled together, but if you think that anyone got through the last two months skipping and singing, you are wrong,” she continued with a sniff. “True, being a personal assistant isn’t a glamorous job but you know what Bianca,” Raja started taking a step closer to Bianca causing the smaller woman to raise her chin up. “No one gives a fuck. It’s called being a fucking adult.”

“Jesus Raja,” Bianca said tiredly. “She quit. She didn’t commit assault, like that crazy fucking designer that you still have on payroll.”

Raja began to protest but Bianca held up her hand.

“Don’t fucking deny it, this is a small town. The bottom line is, Courtney had no desire to move up the corporate ladder at Galactica. Which Fame should have figured out in her interview. But she didn’t, and hired her, and then things didn’t go well and none of you did the responsible thing which would have been to REPLACE HER before she started collapsing under the pressure. I had to listen to Fame whine about her for months, so you all knew what a hard time she was having. So yeah, I took her side. Because she’s a BABY. And all she needed was one person in her corner, believing in her - something you’ve ALWAYS had and maybe take for granted.” Bianca could feel Courtney gripping her hand as if her life depended on it. She squeezed back reassuringly. “And in the long run, as you have clearly figured out, you are all better off this way. So…get over it.”

“Are you serious right now.” Raja asked incredulously, but with a flat expression. “If she was so uninterested in working at Galactica, she shouldn’t have wasted our time during the interview and with training her because Violet recommended her for the position above all the other applicants,” started Raja who wanted nothing more than to throw something but she kept her composure.

“Well that was a bad call now, wasn’t it?” Bianca shot back. “Maybe next time do your own research instead of listening to a 23-year-old–”

“It’s called we gave her a chance and Violet along with several others took the time to try and train her, ” she said, glaring at her friend. “And don’t get me started on ‘a baby’…for fuck’s sake, Bianca, in the real world, even precious little darlings give two weeks notice!”

”You wouldn’t understand what it’s like to be willing to take any job you can get, but for some people, their dream careers don’t fall into their lap due to being freakishly tall with high cheekbones. And then when they have a fucking chance to leave, they take it. While we’re talking about the real world. So goodnight, Raja. It’s been delightful. Let’s please do it again - maybe in another three months?” She flashed her dimples and turned on her heel.

Raja motioned for a waiter to take her glass. “You out of all people should know that I didn’t just stand there and look pretty to get to where I am. You lived it with me. Every high and every fucking low,” Raja said, fluffing her long curled hair. “I will give Courtney Act credit, she did try. But for her to just run away and YOU not say anything at all knowing she worked for us, that’s the ultimate slap in the face.” She stated with a deep sigh as she saw Courtney turn back around and hang her head. “I expected more from the both of you, have a good evening.” And with that Raja tilted her head and left towards where she saw her brother and Raven standing with Trixie and Katya.

Bianca rolled her eyes, muttering, “That one - still a fucking piece of work.” She turned to Courtney and tilted her chin up. “Are you okay, love?”

Courtney nodded. “I think I do want to go home,” she whispered.

Bianca slid an arm around her waist, pulling her close and kissing her tenderly. “Had enough of all this fun?”

Courtney laughed through her misty eyes, laying a head on Bianca’s shoulder. “Mmhmm.”

Bianca kissed the top of her head. “Alright. Let’s get the fuck out of here. Wanna say goodbye to Alaska?”

“Oh, yeah, okay.” Courtney lifted her head, dabbing at her eyes with a cocktail napkin. “Do I look like a weepy mess?”

Bianca brushed her thumb against Courtney’s cheek. “You look as gorgeous as always. You’re perfection.”

Courtney leaned forward and kissed her deeply, hands gripping her waist.

“In fact, you look so good that I think I have a surprise for you at home,” Bianca said in a low voice.

“Well what are we waiting for?” Courtney giggled. “Let’s say goodbye and peace.” She tugged Bianca’s hand towards the other side of the bar, where Alaska and Jinkx stood chatting.

 

***

Bianca hung up her dress, then walked back out to the bedroom, where Courtney was snuggled under the covers, her clothes piled in a chair. She turned to her side. “So…what’s the surprise, B?”

Bianca moved forward and stretched out next to her. “You know how much I love you, right?”

Courtney smiled and touched her fingers to Bianca’s lips. 

“And I just…I know tonight was hard for you, but you were amazing. I’m sorry that Raja got under your skin. She can be such a dick.”

Shrugging, Courtney pulled Bianca in for a slow, luxurious kiss. She sucked gently on her bottom lip and slid her hands around her neck and shoulders. The blanket over her slipped down a little, exposing her breasts, and Bianca pressed against her, letting her hands wander all over that soft exposed skin.

“So I was kinda thinking…I mean, uh,” Bianca cleared her throat. “What would you think about doing something a little…different, tonight?”

Courtney bit her lip, intrigued. “Different, how?”

Bianca kissed her cheek. “Just…I have this blindfold and um, I thought…I mean, how would you feel being–” Bianca stopped suddenly. She felt a little weird even asking this.

Courtney pressed against her, saying, “Anything. I’ll do anything you want.”  
Closing her eyes briefly, Bianca said, “Don’t baby. Don’t agree if you’re not up for it…”

“But I am up for it. All of it.” Courtney looked up at her with total trust, total openness, and Bianca’s mild guilt grew stronger.

“Court…”

“Are you trying to convince me I’m wrong?” Courtney looked at her with clear eyes.

Bianca stroked her face. “No. I’m not trying…baby…” 

She nuzzled Courtney’s cheeks. Heard the whimper, the need, the panting. Courtney clasped her hands behind Bianca’s head. Brought her down for a deep kiss, moaning softly into her mouth.

“Baby, are you sure? I will stop the second you tell me to.”

“Try me,” Courtney challenged, eyes glittering.

Bianca bit her skin gently, and pressed her down into the mattress. She reached into her bedside drawer and picked up a blindfold, slowly covering Courtney’s eyes. There was a quiet, gentle sigh, and then it was on, fastened around the girl’s eyes, her lips gently kissed. She took her wrists and slid silky cuffs onto them, stretching them up above her head, tying them to the slats on her headboard.

Courtney sighed, shifting, arching against Bianca’s body and biting her lip. 

“Are you okay, love?” Bianca whispered.

“Mmmhmm…keep going B…”

She kissed her neck and jaw, her collarbone, and Courtney felt a hot rush of desire flooding her, the swollen feeling in her abdomen growing unbearable as Bianca ground against her.

Bianca pressed her mouth against Courtney’s slender arms, her firm body. She began to breathe faster, moan deeper as Bianca licked her skin, sucking sweetly on her shoulder and nuzzling into her neck.

The covers now around her waist, Bianca slid her hands from Courtney’s shoulders, down to her waist, and back up. Every time a finger touched her nipples, she moaned. She arched against Bianca’s warm body once again. Her skin grew flushed and sweaty. She rolled her hips, whimpering. “B, please…oh god…”

Bianca continued her exquisite torture, lowering the blanket to kiss and lick every inch of her. She moved her lips along her skin, tracing ever ligament, every tendon, every bone, waiting for Courtney to stop her and yet she didn’t. She inhaled the sweet fragrance of her skin, nibbled gently along her inner thigh. Courtney began to grow impatient and thrust upwards, whining slightly.  

“Fuck, B, please. I can’t…ohhhhh!”

Bianca was licking the arch of her foot, kissing her instep and sucking on each toe. Courtney struggled against the bonds, pulling at her wrists. Bianca looked up at her, laying a cheek against her leg, saw her deep red cheeks and writhing body. “Patience, little one,” she said.

Courtney whimpered again. She couldn’t see her, but knew that Bianca had a smirk on her face. “Bianca…please…”

Bianca’s mouth traveled upwards, closer and closer, finally so close she could feel her hot breath. If her hands weren’t tied, she’d have grabbed her hair and forced her head down.  A warm tongue found her, licking her softly, and she rocked her hips, crying out in relief. She was so close, she felt like she could come any second. She threw a leg over Bianca’s shoulder, trying to get more friction.

“Harder B, harder,” she moaned.

When Bianca pulled her head away, Courtney let out a strangled groan. Almost immediately, there was the sensation of soft feathers tickling her skin. She shivered violently, chills racing down her spine as she broke out in goosebumps.

Courtney wrapped her legs tightly around Bianca’s waist. Bianca sat in front of her, pressing their lower bodies together. Fire raced through Courtney’s veins, making her feel like she was going to explode. Especially when Bianca moved away from her, leaving the feathers laying on her chest.

Courtney heard low vibrations and then Bianca held something against her and it rocked her whole body with spasms. And then it was gone and she heard Bianca chuckle. “I didn’t say you could come yet, baby.”

She scoffed. “I don’t need your permission to come. Fuck you.”

“Oh, she’s sassy tonight.” Bianca laid down beside her, stroking her hair and cheeks, leaning in to kiss her. 

Courtney turned her face away miserably.  

“Awwww, are you mad baby?” Bianca continued to gently stroke her trembling body. 

Aching all over with need, Courtney clenched her fists, face red with fury.   
“Pouting doesn’t work with me, cupcake,” Bianca teased, kissing her neck. When the back of her hands brushed over Courtney’s hard nipples, a sob escaped the blonde’s throat. 

She buried her face into the pillow, biting down. Bianca took one finger and turned her head towards her, pressing a soft kiss to her lips. “I hate you,” Courtney whispered against her mouth as her body arched up again.  
Bianca laughed and kissed her collarbone, hands continuing to caress her torso. “Well that’s not very nice, bunny. Maybe if you were sweet I’d let you come.”

Courtney whimpered. “Please B, please. I’m sorry, I’m sorry…”

Cradling her, Bianca murmured, “Okay, love, shhhh…it’s alright.”

She slid down her body, kissing her belly and sliding her hands under her ass. Courtney was shaking as Bianca’s hot mouth found her. Bianca reached over and took a different vibrator from her drawer, and, while sucking hard on her clit, slipped it inside her. She turned it on low and Courtney started thrashing violently, toes curling and moans coming from deep in her soul.

She turned up the vibrator, pushing it in deeper, soft tongue a contrast to the hardness inside her. She looked up to watch Courtney’s face. Sweat dripped down her forehead, and her skin was so hot that Bianca practically felt steam coming off of it. Her body quaked with spasm after spasm, throat hoarse from moaning and gasping. Cum dripped down her thighs. Bianca licked her hungrily. When her body finally slowed, she gulped for air, whimpering softly. Bianca kissed up her body and quickly untied her from the headboard, tossing the vibrator to the floor.

She kissed the red marks around her wrists, slid off her blindfold. “Honey, come here,” she said softly, as she turned the exhausted girl to her side and wrapped her arms around her from behind, cuddling her close.

Still panting, Courtney burrowed deep into Bianca’s arms, matted hair against her neck and shoulder. “Fuck,” she breathed. “I think I blacked out for a minute.”

Bianca laughed and held her tighter. “Your hair’s a mess.”

“My hair? I’m more worried about the lack of oxygen to my internal organs.”  
Bianca laughed harder. “You’re so fucking precious, baby. You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

Courtney turned around and touched Bianca’s face. “Really?” she asked wonderingly.

Bianca nodded, nuzzling her. 

Courtney grinned. “How is that possible? I mean you’re like what, 93?”  
Bianca began to tickle her. “Fuck you, you little shithead. I was trying to be nice for once.”

Shrieking and giggling, Courtney begged for mercy. “Truce! I’m sorry!”

“Yeah, you better be.” Bianca wrapped her into a tight embrace. They lay in comfortable silence for a few moments, Courtney snuggled against her shoulder, holding onto her waist.

“B?”

“Yes, princess?”

“It scares me sometimes how much I love you. Don’t ever stop loving me…please.”

Bianca lifted her head to look into Courtney’s eyes, saw her lip trembling slightly. She kissed her deeply and tenderly, and when she finally pulled her head up, she pressed their foreheads together. “You and me, kiddo. Forever.”

***

“No, Shane. No. This is not okay.”

“But, Betty. Please?”

“No. Come on. Look at it. It’s horrendous.”

The statue Shane brought from flea market was half his height and made of orange marble, depicting Poseidon, probably, but he wasn’t sure. Could’ve been just some guy holding a giant fish. In his mind, Shane already saw the statue in the living room by the window, next to the philodendron, but he sort of forgot (or ignored) to ask the opinion of somebody very important. Who also lived in that apartment.

His girlfriend.

“It’s not horrendous! You look at it! I’m sure you’ll love it when I put where it’s supposed to be, by the window.”

“Oh no, no no no. No way. Don’t you dare. Where it’s supposed to be is in the trash.” Betty didn’t flinch, even when he employed his best puppy eyes. She was leaning against the kitchen table, a frown across her forehead as she looked at the statue with distaste.

“But I paid 10 bucks for it!”

“Give it to Bob then. His house is full of crap anyway.”

Shane looked around, wondering if he should remind Betty that their house was full of “crap” as well, but he didn’t want to try it. It was time for hard math.

“Okay then. We should look at The Fight Chart.”

“Oh no.”

“Oh yes, kitty.” He was already on the way to the bedroom to fetch his laptop and open an Excel file. Shane kept track of their disagreements, even the smallest ones like what they should have for dinner, color-coding what they fought about and how the fights were resolved, marking who got their way or if, by some miracle, they managed to achieve a compromise.

“Shane, darling, please don’t.” Betty’s hand found her way to Shane’s back, slowly running up and down his spine, trying to soften him. She knew she stood no chance against math, and the fact made Shane chuckle inwardly. Poseidon was going to win tonight.

“Oh, we had a great streak recently, babe. Last entry was made two weeks ago!” He leaned in to kiss Betty’s cheek, to which she groaned.  
“Let’s just get this over with, okay?”

“As you wish! As you can clearly see here, you won the last four - no, excuse me, /six/ fights.”

“Were any of them about furniture though?”

“Actually no, but when I can check for furniture disagreements as well, aaaand - wait for it - you won the last three! Even about the fucking shelf that will fall someday, I’m telling you.”

Betty groaned even louder, hiding her face in her hands not to look at the statue. “Flip a coin?”

“What for? I’m pretty sure the numbers speak for themselves.” Shane kissed the top of Betty’s head, giggling as he carried the statue to the living room, setting it up in the designed area. Poseidon didn’t look as impressive as Shane expected him to; he really looked more like a guy holding a fish, but Shane couldn’t possibly back down now, already anticipating the moment of writing his win into the Excel file. Betty stood behind him, a fresh glass of wine in her hand, observing the new addition to the living room.

“Happy now?” she asked, a flirty tone in her voice suggesting she wasn’t as sore about losing as usual. She was probably planning to assault the statue when Shane was fast asleep. There was no way to avoid it. “Can we please watch a movie now? I can’t stand looking at this - this thing a second longer.”

“Sure thing, girl! What are we watching?”

When Shane woke up in the morning, the statue was still there, Betty’s pink scarf with white polka dots wrapped around Poseidon’s neck artistically.  
Shane smiled, his heart filled with love for his girlfriend.

***

“Do you think she’ll like it? I mean, the stuff I got for her…” Violet was sitting in the car, the bag she had brought specifically for trips like this in her lap, little Frida inside. Violet had one hand inside the bag, making sure the dog was calm, and getting it used to her scent. Sutan and her had driven up together, picking up the puppy, Violet signing all the documents and getting the copies of her medical files.

“I’m sure she’ll like it if the things you left at my place is any indication of the car you put into picking them for her.” Sutan smiled. “If I knew you would care that much I would’ve gotten you a puppy for christmas.”

“NO!”

Sutan almost drove into the other lane, Violets outburst surprising him so much he pulled the steering wheel, her hand on his arm instantly as he got the car on the right side of the road again.

“What the fuck lovely eyes, are you trying to get us killed?!” The two looked at each other, Sutans face a perfect picture of horror, and then, they were laughing, both of them laughing until tears started flowing and Sutan pulled over, Frida awake in her basket at the sudden change of pace.

“Oh god, oh god I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” Violet hugged Sutan, holding him tight. “I’m so sorry.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever heard you yell before, are you okay? Did I do something wrong?”

“No!” Violet placed her hands on Sutans face and kissed him. “I’m sorry, I just… It’s… I’m sorry I was so loud.. It’s just… I loved your christmas present, and I would never want anything else, not because of the fact that you changed my life, that you… because you did, believe me, you did, I just… I mean…”

Sutan laughed, Violets hands forcing his neck to bend at a strange angle. “And the point is?”

“I love every gift from you, because they’re from you, because you think about them, because you listen to me and you care, you care so much and I… The fact that you heard that I was scared, that I didn’t know what to do about the bank and that you… And it’s not even the only thing, the fact that you got me a present to celebrate my new job? And it wasn’t even any normal present but a bag that you knew I could use and that I would love but best of all? You get me flowers and kisses and tea when it’s cold and we’re going for walks. You buy me dresses when I’m scared I won’t look good and you hold my hand and buy me pizza when I’m drunk and you don’t smoke near me and I… Sutan… You got me Frida, you got me a puppy, a beautiful, adorable, amazing, fantastic puppy because you love me, and I love you, I love you so so much, and I’m sorry the car almost crashed-”

Sutan kissed Violet, his hand in her hair guiding her.

“I love you too.”

Frida yipped, and they both laughed, Sutan starting the car again.

“Let’s get home.”

 

***

Heyyyy Kel!” Adore threw her arms around the exhausted looking teenager, hugging her tightly.

“Hi. Oh my god, I’m so glad to see you.” Kelly leaned a head on her shoulder. “I’ve been taking care of the twins and they are freaking PSYCHOS. Was I that bad?”

“No!” Adore exclaimed.

“Yes,” said Bianca, causing Courtney to giggle. “You were. But there was only one of you, so…hey sweetie.” She kissed Kelly on the cheek.

“Hi, B.”

“This is Courtney.”

“Hi, Courtney, nice to meet you!” Kelly extended her hand, smiling sweetly.

Courtney wrinkled her brow. “Didn’t we meet at–”

Kelly’s eyes widened and Adore pinched Courtney’s upper arm to silence her.

“I mean, uhhh, no, that was someone else.”

“She’s Australian, all Asians look the same to her,” Adore said, grinning.

“Ha!” Bianca cackled and headed inside, putting her arm around Kelly.

Adore hung back and whispered to Courtney, “Bitch, be cool. Don’t blow her cover.”

Courtney laughed. “It’s not like I saw her doing blow in a sex dungeon. She’s a teenager with a fake I.D….big deal. Didn’t you have one?”

“Yeah, but B is like BFFs with her parents, so just…don’t be a snitch.”

Courtney rolled her eyes.

“Juju!! Hey mama, how’s it going? You look like shit.” Bianca leaned down and kissed Jujubee. “Is that the peanut?”

“Awww, thanks B. Always so charming. I take it this is your jailbait girlfriend? Nice, she’s cute.” Juju handed a little bundle of blankets with the baby in it to Bianca, grinning.

“Hi, I’m Courtney. Um, this is for you.” Courtney held out a large, pale blue gift bag with pink bunnies on it.

“Hey, Courtney. Thank you!”

Adore walked over to the twins on the sofa, where they sat watching educational TV and dripping popsicles all over the cushion, and pulled two big rag dolls out of a bag. “Hey guys. These are for you!”

“Thank you thank you I love presents!” cried Julia.

“Now that you have a little sister, you need to become more responsible.” She handed each of them a doll, which Owen twirled around by the legs and Julia tossed up in the air, then missed on it’s way down, shrieking and covering her face. “Thaaaat’s excellent. Good job, you guys are gonna be awesome babysitters.”

Julia laughed and clapped her hands. “Whee!”

“She’s a helicopter!” Owen added.

“Are you gonna be a monster like your siblings? Are you?” Bianca cooed. Baby Grace yawned in her arms. “Damn, they are so cute before they start talking. And when they don’t have shit in their pants.”

“Yeah, we’ve always felt that way about you, B,” Detox said, entering the room with a tray of drinks and cookies.

“By the way, Kel, we didn’t forget about you. Court, can you give her the card?” Bianca asked, rocking the baby.

Courtney pulled a gift card out of her bag, and handed it to Kelly with a smile.

“The Spa at the Mandarin Oriental? You know, I’m only half Asian.”

Bianca laughed. “It’s a fucking good spa. Your mom’s people know what they are doing.”

“Thanks, B.” Kelly gave her a big hug.

“That was from all of us,” Adore said.

“Yeah, well, I know who has the deep pockets.”

Detox shook his head. “Be gracious, Kelly. I mean you’re right, but still.” He handed Adore a beer.

Bianca looked at Courtney. “You wanna hold her?”

“Is…I mean, can I?” She looked over at Juju with wide eyes.

“Sure,” said Juju, “Just like try not to drop her on her head. It’s been more than 24 hours, so we can’t return her.”

Courtney let Bianca place the baby into her arms. “Hi, sweetie! Hello! Oh, you are just too precious for words…yes you are! Look at your widdle hands…”

Bianca sat down next to Juju on the loveseat and muttered under her breath. “Fuck, that baby voice is kinda hot.”

“You sick bitch,” Juju laughed, putting her arm around her long time friend and leaning on her shoulder.

“Ow! Julia, did you just bite me?” Adore cried.  
Julia laughed hysterically.

“You little brat,” Adore said, tickling her while she shrieked and giggled.

“I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry auntie Adore!”

“So…Bianca…”

“Yes, De?”

“Are you still in the shithouse with the G-girls?”

“Fame loves me again, Patrick is on the fence, but Raja’s still holding a grudge…” Bianca rolled her eyes. “Sutan doesn’t care however, which seems a little weird, but I’ll take all the support I can get.”

“Wait…what did you do to Raja? I thought she was only mad on Fame’s behalf.”

“Uh, me too. I don’t know. It’s just Raja being Raja, she’ll chill eventually. In like 10 years.”

“Ha!”

Juju put a hand on her thigh and turned to her solemnly. “Hey, B. Please do me a favor.”

“Anything, moppet.”

“PLEASE make up with them before Grace’s christening,” she begged.

“Them? I told you, it’s only Raj-”

“Raven too,” Juju cut in.

“Raven?! What the fuck is RAVEN’S fucking problem?!” she hissed, trying not to be loud enough for Courtney to hear. Luckily, the blonde was so enchanted with the baby that she was simply walking around the room, rocking her and whispering to her in a low voice.

“B, please chill. The kids… She said something about loyalty and this friend she had. I have to admit I was suffering from serious case of pregnancy brain when we were talking about it. I’m pretty sure my shirt was on backwards. I just don’t want anything to go wrong or be weird at the ceremony… Kelly has been in a mood for months and I don’t know what to do about it.”

“Oh for god’s sake, Juju, this is so dumb. I can’t-”

“Please, B.”

Bianca sighed. “Okay, tell you what. Either everything is cool by the christening, or…or we won’t go.”

“That’s not what I’m-”

“No, look, I know Raven is your bestie. I get it. I’m not trying to fuck up a religious ceremony, or make things awkward for you. Don’t worry, Adore will still go. No one’s mad at her, right?”

“Of course not.”

“Because I’m everyone’s little darling,” Adore simpered.

“That’s right.”

Juju closed her eyes and relaxed against Bianca’s shoulder. Bianca slung an arm around her and looked over at Courtney, who was luckily still in her own little world with Grace, oblivious and content.

***

“Thanks so much for helping me out, Laila. Trixie won’t even let me push a shopping cart these days.”

“I think he might be right.” Katya’s stomach was getting bigger and bigger, her flowery dress stretching over the bump the girl was affectionately patting. Laila had no idea how it felt to be pregnant and she never wanted to find out. When Katya called her and asked for help with shopping, Laila immediately agreed, Katya arriving in a brand new shiny car that she didn’t really know how to drive well.

“Oh, don’t be silly. I’m pregnant, not sick, and I feel amazing. A little tired, a little queasy, a little lightheaded sometimes, but I’m having the time of my life. Can you believe he even had me give up my old car? I know it was trash, but it was my trash.”

“He’s just worried about you.” Laila stopped the cart in the dairy section, picking up some yoghurt.

“Yeah yeah, I know. I’m very grateful for that. I’m just complaining to you because I know you won’t tell anybody.” Katya smiled, winking. “Oh, the pineapple mousse, I gotta have the pineapple mousse.”

Laila kept pushing the cart around, Katya picking up stuff from different section, her way of shopping definitely more impulsive than planned out. Finally she stopped by a card display, Laila not questioning anything until ten minutes went by and Katya held two handfuls of cards with owls and cats, just having put away a stack of ones with puppies.

“Aw man, I can’t decide. I think I like the owl ones more, but the cats have a nicer color scheme, don’t you think? Do they even have 20 of the cat cards?”

“Sorry, but…why do you even need twenty cat cards from Target?”

“Oh, for wedding invitations, obviously! But - shit, Laila, don’t tell anybody yet, alright?”

“I won’t, but wedding invitations? On cat cards from Target?” Weren’t Katya and Trixie, like, rich? Couldn’t they afford the nice, custom-made, thick creamy paper stuff?

“Yeah, you’re right, I’ll get the owl ones. First instinct is always right.” Katya grabbed the cards with owls and started throwing them into the cart on top of juice cartons.

“Sorry, Katya, but, are you in a hurry or something? I’m pretty sure there are places that can print your custom-made invitations fast as well, if you pay extra.”

“Oh, no no no.”

“No?” Laila was confused.

“No. It would be money down the drain. Look, Laila, yes, I might come from money and I might have a diplomat father who set up a wedding fund for me when I was 16, and yes, there might be 15 thousand bucks in there, but…”

“But? It’s a lot of cash, Katya.” Laila would probably be able to throw three weddings for that, but she also watched Say Yes To The Dress a couple of times with Pearl and she realized that 15 thousand likely wasn’t nearly enough for Trixie and Katya.

“It is! That’s why I’m not spending a penny of it. I want to save it for avo baby.” She patted her belly with a grin. “A wedding is a special day because we get to profess our love in front of people we care about, and not because we blow hundreds on invitations.” Katya hooked an arm around Laila’s shoulders, hugging the shorter girl.

“I liked the cat ones better, you know.” Laila laughed, causing Katya to roll her eyes and groan.

“I’ll get 10 cat and 10 owl then. And I’ll make sure you get a cat one, deal, little goose?“

***

“Thank you for tonight.”

Violet smiled before she clumsily sat down on the bed, and Sutan couldn’t help but chuckle. They had been out for dinner, just the two of them and little Frida who had been tucked under Violet’s chair, happily sleeping while they ate at one of Sutans favorite Italian restaurants in New York.

“You’re very welcome.”

Sutan walked to his wardrobe, untying his tie and taking off his suit jacket while he could hear Violet putter about in the background, the girl struggling a little to get out of her dress as she had had two glasses of wine during dinner. Sutan knew it was slightly cruel, but he was sure he would never stop being amused about how easily Violet got tipsy, the girl always a delight to be around whenever she was drunk, her usual good mood even better, the reservedness she usually only shed in the privacy of their homes disappearing as well. Violet had nearly cried at how cute Frida was as she got tucked into her basket, the little pug exhausted after the short walk home, and her own dinner that had been served the minute the kitchen door had been opened.

Sutan was unbuttoning his shirt when he felt someone’s eyes on him, the prickle in his neck telling him he was being watched.

“What are you doing?”

“Nothing.”

Sutan could hear the smile in Violet’s voice, so he figured she was good for now, his attention not needed. He undid his belt and was just about to step out of his pants when he heard it, the gentle hitch in Violet’s breath, the rustling of the covers, and then he realised he knew exactly what she was doing. Sutan turned around, the sight that met him causing his blood to rush down. Violet was laying in bed, one of Sutan’s t-shirts covering her upper body, her hair pulled up into a simple bun, her face makeup free and relaxed, her lips slightly parted but what was really interesting was the fact that her right hand was nowhere in sight, the movements from underneath the cover all he needed to know.

“Are you sure you’re not doing anything?”

“Mmmh…”

Violet smiled, a gasp leaving her.

“I couldn’t help it.. You’re so, ah, so handsome… And slow at getting undress.. It’s not my fault I’m bored and all alone.”

A smirk decorated Violet’s lips, and Sutan laughed at her sass, the girl making fun of him even though she was the one who had a hand buried between her legs. He could vividly imagine how Violet’s fingers were gliding oh so slowly up and down between her folds, her long manicured nails keeping her from dipping in, from giving herself what he knew she craved. Sutan kept eye contact with Violet as he undressed, shirt, pants and boxers all gone until he was naked in front of her, his cock heavy and full, curving towards his stomach.

“Please.”

The breathy plea was all he needed, Violet reaching out towards him, the girl holding up the covers as he crawled onto the bed and settled between her legs, their lips meeting in a slow and sloppy and oh so delicious kiss, the cover keeping them both warm. Sutan could feel Violet’s hand against him, her fingers still working herself. She was so wet, so ready, so hot. He gasped into the kiss, Violet grabbing him. He was so hard and oh how he wanted. His hands were on both side of her hand, almost shaking as she guided him into her, one of his hands grasping her hip, pulling her up, their lips never breaking apart as he started to thrust into her, the rhythm slow, like they had all night, which they did, neither of them talking as they rocked together, their hips meeting on each trust, Violet rolling against him, her bottom lip caught between his teeth, the bite making her gasp and cry out, her own hand bringing her over the edge moments before Sutan finished deep inside of her, her warmth always his favorite place to spill. They laid together for a little while, both catching their breath, Sutan kissing Violet’s lips, her forehead, her nose, her eyelids, loving butterfly kisses covering his girlfriend’s skin, the two of them as connected as anyone could be.

 

***

“Fuck!”  
Trixie stopped immediately at the sound of Katya’s voice, his body frozen in place. Trixie was laying on his stomach, his hands on Katya’s thighs, his face buried in between her legs, her taste still on his tongue as he stopped what he was doing.

“…. Are you okay?” Trixie couldn’t see anything, couldn’t hear anything, Katya’s skirt covering him from the world.

“I can’t ride rollercoasters!”

“What are you talking about?”

Trixie started laughing, the skirt quickly getting pulled away so he could sit back on the bed and look at Katya, his mouth quickly getting wiped off on the sleeve of his shirt.

“For our wedding!”

“Katya… You’re pregnant, like, really pregnant. How did you not realize this when we made the wedding plans?”

“I know I’m pregnant, but I forgot we live in a cold, totalitarian world that hates fun and that America will sue everyone for everything.”

Trixie smiled, fondly remembering all the stories Katya had told him about Russia, and about how there were no rules for anything there.

“I can’t ride rollercoasters. Oh god, I’m already sad we can’t go to Disney World, but not being able to ride rollercoasters? This is going to be the worst wedding ever.” Katya looked genuinely distressed, and Trixie placed his hands on her belly. “What is the point in even getting married if I can’t get a picture of us screaming in fear while I throw my bouquet?”

“True love and the security of our child?”

“Trixie.” Katya grabbed her fiance’s hand, her face utterly serious. “Promise me you will kiss me on a rollercoaster before we die.”

“Of course.”

“You’re the best husband in the world.” Katya smiled, leaning back into the pillows, finally relaxed again, happy with the deal she had made with Trixie. “I want it to be on Space Mountain… We should redo our vows while riding Space Mountain, just you and me.”

“Next summer?”

“Next summer.”

***

BIANCA: You there yet?  
ADORE: No, I’m on the subway.  
BIANCA: OK  
BIANCA: You there yet?  
ADORE: Would you CHILL, dude?   
BIANCA: REMEMBER YOUR MISSION  
ADORE: STOP STRESSING. I’ll call you when I leave.

***  
Raja opened the door and swept Adore into her arms. Adore always loved to get hugged by the former model, one of the few women she knew who literally towered over her.

“Heyyyyy, how are you, babe?”

“I’m good! I’m performing at The Ladder on Saturday. You guys should come!” Adore smiled, exchanging hugs and kisses with Raven and following them both into the dining room.

Raven perked up at the sound of seeing her adorable Adore perform with her band, Angry Pussy. She slung an arm around Adore’s shoulders and led her to the table. “Any new songs, honey? You know how much we love your music.”

“Yeah! Actually a couple. And also, I’m going to do a special cover for Bianca and Courtney–”

Raven winced at the mention of them. She turned away to start pouring wine, biting her tongue.

“What is going on there, by the way?”

“No lube, huh?” Raja asked, laughing. “You’re just gonna ram it in dry?”

Adore hung her head. “Sorry, B told me to be subtle.”

“Yeah, well, don’t feel bad. Subtle doesn’t seem to run in your family.” Raja sat down, accepting a glass of wine from her fiancee and serving Adore some pasta from a painted bowl.

Raven cleared her throat, stabbing her fork into a tomato. “Listen, Adore, we don’t want you to get caught up in the whole mess with your sister, you know?”

“Okay, I appreciate that, but…what mess? Like, I don’t really get why you’re mad. I mean I knew why Fame was mad, but she’s not anymore.”

Adore scratched her head. “And like, are you mad at Courtney too? Because she tried really, really hard. I’ve never seen her work that hard and she was just–”

“It’s not about Courtney,” Raja interjected.

“Like hell it isn’t,” Raven grumbled, “Speak for yourself.”

Raja’s voice was mildly scolding. “Raven…”

“What? Sorry, I know she’s her friend, but what a spoiled, selfish, oversensitive little shit-”

“Raven!” Adore exclaimed.

“What?”

“I get it, you hate her. Jesus Christ.” Adore shook her head. “Sorry I asked.”

“I don’t necessarily hate her as a human, but I do not accept her presence as an equal in my eyes.” Raven started angrily. “I’m not here for someone who signs up for something and when it gets a little difficult, they turn tail and run. I could tell from the first day I met her that she didn’t have what it took to rise to that job-”

“Raven. Dude, I love you, but you sound fucking crazy. You’re mad at her for quitting, but you didn’t like her before she quit because she was wrong for the job she eventually quit? It’s like…what? It sounds like you just don’t like her, period.”

Raven sighed. “Look, she’s just…she’s a brat. She doesn’t care about anyone but herself. Things got hard? So she quit with no notice, ruining Violet’s vacation since she had to go back and cover…which ruined OUR vacation. That was so unfair to Violet. And Sutan. And Raja. And me.”

“Well, and before she quit, she fucked up royally,” Raja chimed in. “She messed up the fashion week travel, and failed to lock in key vendors for Fashion Week, which meant overtime for all of us, especially Violet, and late fees, which meant all of the budgets for all of the departments got slashed.”

Adore shook her head. “Poor Courtney.”

“Poor COURTNEY?! Poor me, I’m the one who had to work overtime for a month while she sat around your sister’s apartment living the dream.”

Adore laughed. “I mean, okay, but you are one of the owners of the company. Don’t you always do a bunch of overtime before Fashion Week? And who put her in charge of vendors anyway? She’s not good at stuff like that. No wonder she freaked.”

Raja rolled her eyes. “The thing is, Adore, for me, it’s not even about that. Yeah, I think she was incompetent and I’m annoyed with how she left. But like, in the long run…I don’t care about her at all.”

“I mean it’s B, they won’t be together for long,” Raven laughed.

“What really pisses me off is that Bianca swooped in and ‘saved’ her without saying one word to us about it, and then acts shocked when we find out through fucking social media and has no idea why we are upset and betrayed. She’s supposed to be our best friend, and yet she put the best interest of some trick ahead of ours? Bullshit.”

“I mean, I hear you, Ra. But I don’t think…I don’t think this is B’s typical thing. Like, I don’t think she thinks of her as a trick.”

“So she’s delusional?” Raven smirked.

“No, I mean…look, I guess time will tell.”

“Well, regardless of what happens with them, I was really hurt, and so was Fame, and what makes it worse is that Bianca doesn’t seem like she’s sorry at all.”

Adore laughed. “Fair point.”

“But we love our little punk rock mermaid,” Raven chirped, her anger gone only to be replaced by a drunken smile.

Adore leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. “I love you too, Rave.”

“Besides, I couldn’t possibly be mad at my sweet Adore or Angry Pussy if the lead singer can hopefully sing at our wedding,” she said easily, as she watched Adore’s eyes get big.

“You want me to sing at your wedding?!” Adore exclaimed, excited and nervous at the prospect of singing at such a high profile event. “Are you just fucking with me Rave?” she asked, looking between Raja and Raven suspiciously.

Raja snorted at the young woman’s excited expression, “No girl, she’s so serious.”

“Yeah why not!” Raven started as she began to wiggle in her seat in excitement. “Your music is awesome and I think it’ll be great for either the party of maybe even cocktail hour.”

“Why not your first dance?!” blurted Adore before she could stop herself.

“I think that’s a marvelous idea!” squealed Raven in delight. “I think your song ‘Hot Crotch’ or ‘Mermaid Dreams’ would behold ideas.”

“Maybe let’s save ‘Hot Crotch’ for the afterparty,” Raja cackled. “Your parents are gonna be there.”

“True,” Raven agreed, giggling.

***

ADORE: Well…  
BIANCA: ???  
ADORE: They love ME ;)  
BIANCA: Fuck  
ADORE: I’d let this one ride, sis. Sorry.  
BIANCA: OK. Thanks for trying  
ADORE: I really am sorry  
BIANCA: Well…there is a bright side  
ADORE: What’s that?  
BIANCA: I’m about to go bang a really hot chick  
ADORE: lol, congratulations.

***  
Pearl was wearing a dress.

It wasn’t the first dress Laila ever saw her in. Pearl wore dresses sometimes, short ones for clubs, longer ones for work parties, but this one - this one was just perfect for some reason. It underlined the curve of her ass, showing off her perfectly toned thighs, high heels she was wearing accentuating all the muscles. A messy braid was going from the left side of her head to the right, the rest of her hair let loose, and she was putting on lipstick, holding a hand mirror, trying to catch the last minutes of daylight by Laila’s small window.

Laila knew they didn’t have time for this, but she couldn’t possibly stop the sudden gush of wetness in her underwear. She whimpered quietly, managing to catch Pearl’s attention.

“What?” The blonde turned around, lipstick in her hand. Her face was already done and perfect, dark winged eyeliner and shiny crimson lips. She was about to leave to film a clip at an opening of some store.

“You should be outlawed, you know.”

“Huh?”

Laila bit her lips, forgetting she was wearing lipstick as well, makeup done for a long night at the bar, a stage performance included. “Take this off.”

“Seriously? We’re gonna be late, you know”, Pearl said, but she was already unzipping her dress, letting it fall to the floor as she stepped out of it, remaining in a full set of white lace underwear, complete with garter belt that held up her stockings. Laila felt a rush of blood from her head to the lower parts of her body, barely stopping from touching herself, meeting Pearl halfway instead to unpin her garter belt.

“Laila…” the girl moaned, her hands wrapping around Laila’s waist, breath short and coming out in puffs over Laila’s ear. “You look so, you look so good. But I’m gonna fuck up your face.”

“No. No faces. No kissing. Just hands.”

“But -”

“No, Pearl.” This was going to be tricky, but she could pull this off, if Pearl cooperated. Laila pushed the girl so that she sat on the bed, trying to be careful, but suddenly she didn’t know how to anymore. She saw something flash in Pearl’s eyes as she decided to obey, something that looked like trust, that looked like excitement as she practically melted into the bed.

It was showtime. Laila smirked, slowly, sensually unzipping her own jeans and pushing them down her hips. This was her stage now, and Pearl was her audience. Truth was, she imagined Pearl was her only audience very often recently. When she wasn’t in the mood to dance and strip, not even her favorite songs helping her get into the right mindset, she imagined the blonde sitting right by the stage, cheering on her, throwing dollars, just appreciating her, somewhere she could belong, and that made even the worst nights way easier.

The jeans were off, Laila unhooking her bra with one hand and tossing it away, Pearl’s breath hitching as her chest was raising and falling quickly, and she watched, her fingers already disappearing in the pink folds of her sex. “You’re being naughty”, Laila said, running her hand up Pearl’s thigh as slow as possible, the feeling of power giving her headrush.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry”, Pearl mumbled, but didn’t stop touching herself, eyes now firmly glued to Laila’s breasts, and it was time for the final punch, something Laila never did onstage: she took off her panties as she danced to music playing in her head, Pearl practically trembling at this point. “Please touch me, please, Laila, I’m -”

Laila let Pearl guide her hand. She pushed the soaked through fabric of Pearl’s panties away, placing two fingers inside of her at once, Pearl falling back onto Laila’s messed up bedsheets, Laila’s little show having brought her close to release. Laila admired Pearl’s face as she hovered over her: her closed eyes, the perfect, fierce line of eyeliner, carved cheekbones, the desire forcing her to touch herself. Pearl’s hands were running up and down Laila’s hips until she placed them on her ass, her eyes flutterring open and she tried to drag Laila closer to make out.

“No kissing, remember?”

Pearl opened her mouth to protest, pent up frustration squeezing tears out of her eyes, but she held onto Laila tighter, Laila speeding up, hooking her fingers to hit the spot, and soon Pearl was nothing more but a series of soft whimpers and a stain soaking through the sheets, leaving Laila behind to drive herself over the edge, too.

When she collapsed onto the bed next to her girlfriend, sweat running down her temples, bliss making her body weightless, Laila was the one who almost forgot about the “no kissing” rule, disappointed they couldn’t do what they always did post-orgasm: make out lazily until the world stopped spinning. Pearl grinned at her with appreciation and gratitude, taking Laila’s hand and lacing their fingers together.

“I already can’t wait to take all the makeup off and make out with you properly in the morning”, Pearl said, her breathing still not back to normal.

“Yeah, please. Will you be waiting here when I’m back from work?”

“Always.”

 


	30. Chapter 30

People said many things about Brooklyn, but whatever they said, Betty still loved the place. Sitting at her usual table at TNT, looking around at the crowd, everybody seemed relaxed and just enjoying this regular evening, people dressed in wild, screaming colors. Spring finally came, encouraging everyone to leave house and wear all the clothes that had spent the winter months in the closet. Betty even pulled out her sketchbook at one point, feeling a sudden surge of inspiration, but put it away with a roll of her eyes as she noticed Ruby making faces at her from the stage. The band was setting up, getting ready to play another Monday show.

“Hey Bets!” There was only one person in the world who ever called Betty that. Shaken out of her daydreaming as she was watching Shane tune his violin, Betty turned to see Violet walking up to her table, a smile on her face as she hugged Betty and sat down at her table.

“Wow, what a surprise! You never said you were coming.”

“I know, sorry, it was a last-minute decision.”

“Where is Sutan?”

“Him and Raja are getting a cigarette.” Violet rolled her eyes, taking off her jacket and hanging it at the back of her chair, already making herself at home. She opened her bag and took out her wallet, Betty easily recognising it as a Dior from a few years ago, and she only barely kept a groan from escaping. Why was she even surprised that Violet had a Dior wallet?

“Do you want something from the bar?” Violet smiled. “My treat. Also, do you think they have sparkling water here? I mean, it is a Monday and since Raja is here I can’t really put on a big pair of sunglasses and just pretend I’m coherent. That might fly with Trixie, Raja? Not so much.”

“Hold the fuck up, what? Raja? Did you just say Raja? Again? Is she here?” Betty couldn’t believe what she was hearing. If she had to think of the least possible person to ever show up at TNT, Miss Fame took first place, but Raja was a close second. What the fuck was happening?

Violet nodded. “Yeah… Apparently Sutan told her about Shane’s music and she wanted to hear it too. Normally Raven would come too, you know her, right, Raven Petruschin?”

“I know Raven, yes.” Betty was panicking, and she had no idea why Violet seemed like everything was okay.

“Well, Raven is visiting her best friend. She just gave birth to the most adorable little baby girl, I think they’re gonna name her Grace, isn’t that cute?” Violet smiled. “It seems like everyone is having babies.. We’re going to her christening soon and I’m a little excited, I’ve never really been to one before.”

“Well fuck me sideways”, murmured Betty, none of the things Violet had just said actually sticking in her brain. “I have to tell Shane. Be right back.”

Knowing the band was about to start playing any minute, she quickly trotted to the stage, pulling on the hem of Shane’s shirt to get his attention.

“What’s up, babe?”

“Nothing much, except Raja is here.”

“Raja?”

“RAJA AMRULL, you fucking dumbass!”

“Oh, that’s so cool! Sutan told me he wants to bring her one time. Do you think she’ll like it, Betty? I hope she’ll like it. Great, now I’m stressed.”

“You’re stressed? What about me? I’m the one who’s supposed to sit there and make small talk with a woman who hates my guts!”

“Aww, come on.” Shane patted her head, smiling. “You’ll be fine. After all she’s just a person, you know?”

Shaking her head, Betty went back to the table.

Raja, who was anything but a person to Betty, the woman more like a monster out to destroy her, was already sitting there with Sutan, a look of distaste on her face, like she expected everything to be dirty. The two were speaking together in a language Betty didn’t understand, Raja laughing and giving her brother a hug. Betty slid into her seat next to Violet, accidentially catching eye-contact with Raja, the woman reaching through the table to exchange a handshake. Raja’s handshake was firm and a little scary, just like the woman herself was. Sutan kissed Betty on the cheek, catching her by surprise at the display of affection, before he wrapped an arm around Violet’s waist, the girl leaning into his side.

“Do you need anything to drink, baby?” he asked the girl, making Violet laugh. “I’m fine, and I got drinks for Raja as well.”

“Well look who’s a big spender today.”

Sutan smiled and kissed Violet’s temple. “Know what, next round’s on me. The usual? For both of you?”

Violet nodded. “Can I have a vodka soda, as weak as possible? None of the bathtub stuff. Betty, what about you?”

“Usual is fine?”

“Alright. Rajie, come with me?”

The two walked to the bar, speaking in the weird foreign language again, and Betty couldn’t stand it. That was class A asshole behavior if she ever saw one. Who the fuck excluded the other people in their company like that? Especially of Betty knew they were both able to speak perfect English.

“What the fuck was that?”, she asked Violet, who raised an eyebrow at Betty’s question, not really understanding what she was getting at.

“What do you mean?”

“That, that gibberish.” Betty knew she wasn’t being fair, but she was nervous and annoyed, a very bad combination if you wanted to catch her in a good mood.

“Oh, that’s Indonesian…” Violet smiled, proud of the fact that she knew the answer to Betty’s question. “They speak it with their mom too all the time… It’s a little annoying but you get used to it… They don’t really do it on purpose. I think they like it, like a secret language or something, and I mean, they have spoken it all their life, so it makes sense.”

“Ugh, I hate when people do that. Doesn’t that bother you?”

“Like I said, I had to get used to it. It’s fine. They’re twins, it’s obvious they’re close.”

Close was one thing and being an asshole was another, but what did Betty know after all. Sutan and Raja came back to the table, setting down the drinks.

“Okay, they’re starting!” Sutan smiled and pulled out his phone. “I’m going to get closer to the stage to catch the sound right.”

“You’re filming?” Betty asked Sutan. This evening really seemed to evolve in the most unexpected direction.

“Yeah, I need some decent quality material to show to my label friend. I seriously want them to go into a recording studio, I think they deserve it.”

“Uuuh, you’re showing it to Lucian? Risque risque, brother dear.” Raja smiled.

“Oh shut up.”

“By the way, Sutan, can you get me another drink? This one is kinda… Not good.”

Sutan laughed, knowing perfectly well that Raja was just being difficult on purpose.

“Rajie, we’re in Brooklyn, relax. It’s part of the charm.”

“I’m perfectly relaxed.” Raja smiled.

“Of course. And I can’t get you a new glass, they’re about to start, so shut it and drink.”

The band started playing, Ruby greeting everybody, sounds of the violin swallowing all the conversations and Betty was left to her own thoughts. She never expected Sutan to come through on his promises, but, apparently, she was wrong, Sutan’s douche meter falling a little yet again.

Raja was sitting opposite her, sipping on her drink. Her eyes were fixed onstage, her foot tapping along to the rhythm. It only took minutes before she started dancing to the music, Sutan laughing at her.

***

Violet cheered as the music stopped, happily clapping her hands for the band. She knew it was a little stupid, but the break was one of her favorite things. Violet took a sip of her drink, her fingers tugging on Sutan’s sleeves, his arm going around her, letting Violet settle in.

Sutan and Raja were discussing the music, or so Violet assumed. She knew a little Indonesian, had been teaching herself more and more, but she didn’t want to intrude too much on the twins’ privacy, didn’t want to force herself too much into their life.

Violet didn’t worry though, the tone of their voices and body language showing that they were happy.

“You guys realise we have company, right?” Violet had only meant it as a jest, but from the look on Raja’s and Sutan’s faces, they hadn’t considered that at all.

***

Only after Violet spoke up, the Amrulls looked away from each other. Betty was an only child, never able to experience the bond between siblings, so she was trying to figure out if the behavior Sutan and Raja presented was normal.

Raja rolled her eyes, smiling though. “I’m sorry, Violet. We didn’t mean to be rude-” She turned to Betty, focusing on her for the first time that night, and Betty wished she had drunk more alcohol, ¾ of her cuba libre not nearly doing enough.

While she was squirming under the dark eyes of the other woman, Sutan got up, giving Raja and Violet a half-hug. “I’m going to go get this from a different angle”, he said, leaving to record the band again.

“You and Shane are dating, right, Betty?” Raja twirled her straw. Dating was such a meaningless word to describe their relationship, but Betty couldn’t really find another answer for Raja, so she just nodded. “He’s good. What kind of music are they playing?”

“It’s - it’s jazz?” Was Raja stupid? Or, even worse, was she trying to be nice? Betty was about to say something, something mean, but she kept biting her tongue. That was Raja, Sutan’s beloved sister. Sutan was recording Shane’s band to show to relevant people that could even kickstart a career. Betty realized that it was important and she couldn’t possibly ruin this for Shane, but damn, it was hard to stay in the lane.

“Oh. I see.”

The conversation seemed to be over, Bach Street Boys launching into another song. Violet seemed stiff and quite uncomfortable next to Betty as if the tension was reaching her, too, breathing a sigh of relief when she could look back at the stage and get lost in the music.

***

The set was done; Shane thought it went well, the amount of applause as big as usual, or even a little bigger since spring always meant more patrons at the bar. He high-fived both his bandmates, the three of them falling into comfortable conversation after the microphones got turned off, before Shane noticed Sutan standing right by the stage.

“Sutan, man, come over here! I have to introduce you.”

“We’ve met already, that last time, remember?” injected Ruby, her eyes sizing up Sutan’s handsome frame, Ragamuffin slapping her on the arm with his drumstick from behind.

“Stop it, you slut!”

“Nevermind. Sutan Amrull.” Sutan grinned, climbing up onto the stage, shaking hands with Shane’s bandmates. “You’ve been great tonight. I’ve recorded a couple songs, do you want to see?” Everybody nodded, watching the video of their opening number on Sutan’s iPhone. “Is it cool if I show it to Lucian? He’s my label friend. I told you about him a few weeks back and he said he’d love to see some material.”

“Lucian? Don’t tell me you know Lucian Piane.” Shane covered his mouth in excitement. Piane was one of the biggest shots in the whole of New York. Shane quickly exchanged glances with both Raga and Ruby, and their eyes were wide.

“Yeah, we go way back. So I guess it’s cool if he sees that? It’d be a favor to him really, they’re looking to expand into the vinyl market and you guys would be perfect for that demographic.”

“Of course. Of course it’s cool, man, it’s fucking amazing!” Shane put a hand on Sutan’s back, unable to stop smiling. “Thank you so, so much.”

“It’s no problem at all, guys. Now, does anyone want a beer? It’s on me.”

***

“Heyyyy ladies! How did you like it? What a fucking blast, oh my God.” Violet could immediately tell Shane was bursting with joy as he greeted everyone, sitting down next to Betty, Sutan and Raga bringing beers for everybody and stealing some extra chairs from nearby tables.

“Everybody squish!” In the hustle that resulted, Violet ended up sitting next to the singer, Ruby, her wavy, mahogany hair almost touching the side of Violet’s face.

“I love your hair, are those your natural curls? They look amazing.” Violet smiled. “Like, really amazing!”

“Thank you! Of course they’re natural. I might have helped the color a little bit, though”, she winked, reaching for a beer bottle.

Meanwhile, Raja was whispering something into Sutan’s ear, a phone in her hand and a worried frown on her forehead. “Is everything okay?” Violet asked her quietly, clearly concerned.

“Don’t worry Violet, Raven is just feeling a little bad, something about Julia sharing her germs, you know how it is.” Violet smiled, knowing exactly how childish one of her best friends could be when something didn’t go according to her plan, and getting sick was never in Raven’s plans.

“I have to go home. Sorry. I really enjoyed it, though. Please tell Shane I look forward to hearing him play on record, I’m not going to interrupt”, said Raja, seeing as Shane was deep in a loud conversation that required him to move his hands around a lot. The woman kissed Violet’s cheek, and then Sutan’s, sliding off her chair and leaving quietly. Violet made a mental note to call Raven the next day and ask if she’s feeling alright, her admiration towards Raja only growing after tonight since the woman had been so kind and polite to her friends, willing to go all the way out to Brooklyn just to do something Violet had suggested.

Violet felt a hand on her arm, the singer from before asking for her attention.

“So how do you know Betty?” asked Ruby, fixing her big, grey eyes on Violet.

“Oh, we work in the same department, or, we’re both designers at Galactica, actually.”

“Damn, you too? That snobby high street brand?”

“Yes!” Violet giggled. “Raja, the woman who just left, is the director of the fashion department, uh, and she used to be this huge world famous model in the 90s and 00s, didn’t you recognize her? Raja Gemini, the all-American chocolate treat… Kind of a horrible tagline.”

Sutan laughed. “Hey, I came up with that.”

“I’m not that into fashion myself”, answered Ruby, earning herself a pointed look from Betty.

“Bitch, we know! Everybody can see what you’re wearing.”

Violet giggled again at Betty’s comments.

“Uuuh, that’s a proper burn!” Raga laughed. “And you know what happens when you get burned?”

“I knoooow.” Ruby laughed and dug into her pockets, putting enough money in Raga’s hand to get a round of shots for the table, everyone cheering and Betty getting a kiss from Shane.

Sutan came back from outside, his arms going around Violet’s shoulder once again since there weren’t any avaiable seats. His presense forced everyone at the table closer together.

“And what do you do then, handsome?” Ruby’s voice was dripping with seduction as she turned to Sutan, resting her chin on her palm.

“I’m a manager at Elite.”

“I have no idea what that means, but I bet you’re great at it.” Ruby smiled, turning her body so her chest was on display.

Violet stifled a laugh, taking another long sip of her drink when she felt someone tugging on her sleeve. Shane’s eyes were gleaming behind his glasses. “My woman says she’s not drunk enough to dance with me. What do you say?”

“I say why not!” she extended a hand to Shane, the man leading her to the dancefloor.

“Save one for me!” Sutan laughed and took Violet’s chair, him and Betty quickly getting into a discussion about whether tequila shots where best with lemon or lime.

The song was fast and rhythmic, Violet boozed enough not to feel too self-conscious about her moves, enough people dancing already that they weren’t on display. Shane looked like he was living through the best night of his life, cheering enthusiastically as he spun Violet around, the girl holding tight onto his arms not to lose her balance, and Violet would probably would be embarrassed if only she could still care, but right now all that mattered was the music, and that she was having fun with her friend.

As the song slowed down, she was finally able to catch some air into her lungs. While they kept swaying in little circles, Shane leaned in, trying to whisper into her ear.

“Aren’t you a little worried?”

“What do you mean?”

He gestured in the direction of their table and at first Violet didn’t know what to focus on, seeing only Betty calmly talking to Raga, and Sutan nodding his head, listening - oh. He was listening to Ruby, the girl all smiles and buttery eyes as she twirled a strand of hair around her finger, biting her lips.

“I’d watch out if I were you. She is kind of - what’s the word? A homewrecker.”

“No, no no no no, come on. Sutan would never. He would never cheat on me. He would never, Shane. No. He promised me.”

“Okay Vi, okay, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.” Shane twirled Violet around, the girl already forgetting her worry once again as a new song started up, the beat fast and fun.

“Just watch out. Okay? Ruby doesn’t play fair.”

“I will”, she said, not really meaning to take it to heart. She trusted Sutan completely.

***

“Crows are smarter than dogs.”

“Haha, very funny.”

“No, I think she’s right, a lot of animals are way smarter than dogs.”

“Come on. Dogs know how to play fetch and roll over and they recognize their owners!”

“Pigs are smarter than dogs too.”

“Who says that?”

“Science.”

“Oh shut up. Whose side are you on anyway, you devil in a dress?”

***

“Wooo, that was GOOD! You should regret you weren’t there, am I right, Violet?” Shane grinned at Betty, pinching her nose before leaning down to kiss her, nearly losing balance. He was already on a fast track to wasted, even though his tolerence was usually high.

“One more drink and I’ll be ready, I swear!”, Betty answered, joining their hands and letting Shane lean into her while he started on another beer bottle.

“I’m gonna go get a smoke, anybody wanna join?” Sutan looked right at Shane saying that, but Shane didn’t even notice, busy staring at Betty like he saw her for the first time in his life, his expression angelic.

“I’d love to!” Ruby stood up, smoothing down her red dress. She watched out for Raga calling her a slut again, but he was busy talking to the black-haired chick. Ruby smiled at Sutan and followed the man out of the bar, his height making it easy not to lose him in the crowd.

A crowd of smokers was gathered on the street already, nothing unusual, and they had to step over empty cups and beer bottles before they found a free spot, with a not so stunning view of a Brooklyn back alley, but Ruby didn’t care. Tonight was treating her well, this gorgeous stranger, who was no longer a stranger, offered to vouch for them at a label, and she couldn’t stop admiring his low, slightly husky voice as he answered her purposefully silly questions.

Sutan reached to his pocket for a pack of cigarettes and Ruby realized her mistake: she didn’t really smoke, so she had no pack of her own. Before she could panic, though, Sutan presented her with his American Spirits.

“Help yourself.”

Oh, she was going to. She put the cigarette between her lips, making sure to look Sutan deep in those dark, entrancing eyes as he flicked his lighter, helping her. She took a drag, blowing out the smoke, slowly, knowing it made her look like the sexiest girl who stepped into the bar tonight. “Thank you.”

“No problem. So, Ruby. What do you do for a living?”

“Oh, not much. I’m a receptionist at a hair salon, and I sing at bars three nights a week.”

“Three nights? Wow. When do you sleep?”

“I manage”, she answered, smiling and rolling her shoulders, trying to provoke Sutan to at least smirk at her, and she succeeded. She made a quick checklist for the night: leaving a lasting impression was the priority, while getting Sutan’s number was not; he was Shane’s friend, she could have his number any time she wanted. She could also try taking him home, but her cat probably made a mess again while she wasn’t there, or try having Sutan take her home, but honestly, she didn’t really like that option. She wanted to date Sutan, not just fuck him, and that was shocking even to her.

“So, I’m curious. How did that band of yours come to be?”

Enjoying Sutan’s attention like a little puppy basking in the sunlight, she started talking, nearly forgetting about the cigarette between her fingers until it almost burned her. Sutan was a great listener, nodding when required, not interrupting her, keeping eye contact enough for it not to be creepy, checking out her clevage only from time to time. Ruby was definitely feeling a tingle in the lower parts of her stomach: it was time she found someone like that, someone grown up, responsible and who would make her feel safe. She was tired of one night stands and relationships that lasted two months, tired of being broken up with over Starbucks coffee, tired of Raga’s happy relationship that lasted since high school and of Shane and Betty being disgusting.

Ruby realized she had stopped talking, Sutan having asked her another question she didn’t register, and, in a deer-in-headlights moment, she only had one idea: /I’m going to kiss him./

She almost made a move, burning under his stare, imagining how his lips would feel, climbing to her toes when Sutan tossed aside his cigarette, pocketing his hands and breaking the moment.

“Ready to go back in?”

She wasn’t, but what else could she do?

***

“No! No, I’m serious! Clueless is totally a Shakespear play! I swear!”

“As if! Wake up and get your shit together, Clueless is a Jane Austen book, it’s fucking Emma and you know it.”

“You’re so wrong. It’s that stupid movie based on Twelth Night!”

“She’s the Man?”

“No, the other one! The one where she hates that dude.”

“10 Things I Hate About You?”

“Yes!”

“That’s not even Clueless, and it’s based on The Taming of the Shrew!”

“Oh shut up, Shane!”

***

The night was in full swing, Sutan by the bar ordering another round of drinks, Violet having disappeared to the bathroom by herself, Shane leaning his head heavily on Betty’s shoulder, singing along to a song that was playing.

“So, is he like, dating anyone?” Ruby leaned forward, knocking over an empty glass as she9 reached through the table to grab Betty’s hands.

“Who?”

“You know who. The handsome one with a weird name.” Ruby gestured to the bar where Sutan was paying for drinks.

“Sutan? Are you for real? He’s with Violet, didn’t you notice?”

“He’s with - oh! Are they engaged? Married?”

Betty knew Ruby’s code of honor perfectly well: if the guy was not engaged or married, he was still “in the market” and a perfectly fair game. She saw the way the singer was biting her lips for the past hour, making heart eyes at Sutan, so she decided to resort to a little, white lie.

“Yeah, they’re engaged. Sorry, Ruby, game over.”

“Fuck. Why are all the hot ones always taken, or gay?”

“Life’s a bitch, baby, life’s a bitch.” Satisfied that she saved the day, Betty watched as Ruby drained all the glasses that were left on the table with a resigned expression.

***

“Everyone!”

They all looked up from the dart game they had been playing, Raga wiping the floor with everyone’s faces. Sutan approached them with a wide smile. “I have some wonderful news. I sent the clips to Lucian, and he wants to have lunch with you guys and talk about potentially signing you for a vinyl contract!”

A glass shattered loudly on the floor, Shane using both his hands to cover his mouth and muffle a scream. “Are you serious right now?”

“Do I look like I’m joking?”

Ruby and Raga threw themselves at Shane, the band jumping up and down in a spontaneous group hug, everybody squeeling in delight.

“This calls for some special celebration!” Sutan has already ordered four bottles of champagne, the bartender bringing them a tray of fresh glasses. “To Bach Street Boys!”

Everybody raised their glass in a moment of genuine happiness, made even more intense with the help of alcohol in their blood.

“Okay, okay, guys, I have to say a few words!” Shane tried to talk over everybody, but that wasn’t easy.

“Nooo! Boring!”

“Shut up! I’m talking! So! Thanks to this man right here - I’m talking about you, Sutan - we have this fucking amazing opportunity do maybe actually record some stuff. So here’s to Sutan Amrull, my bro, my friend, and the buyer of this delicious champange. And here’s to Violet, who brought Sutan here and was the first person from Galactica to ever come see our show!”

“Jeez, Shane, stop talking and let’s get to drinking!”

“No, Ruby, stuff it or I’m not gonna thank you! Here’s also to my incredible bandmates, Ragamuffin, who’s the only sane person in our band, and Ruby Roo, although she’s a cunt, but her looks make up for both Raga and me. And - I’m almost done! - huge credits to my wonderful girlfriend Elizabeth, who hasn’t missed a single one of our shows and who’s always been my rock. Thank you, baby, and here’s to me! Wooo!” Shane leaned down to lay a huge kiss on Betty’s lips, everybody cheering and clinking their champagne glasses.

***

“I can eat a pound of peanuts in 10 minutes.”

“I’m pretty sure that’s physically impossible.”

“Wanna bet on it?”

***

“Sutaaaaaan.” Violet draped herself over Sutan’s back, a drink in her hand. The man was sitting at a table, him and Raga playing quarters with a tray of shots at their side, half of them already gone. “Can I have one? Uh, is that pink? Can I have the pink one? Please?”

“No way, little girl! These are for us, this is a fight to the death!” Raga threw the coin, missing the glass by several inches. Sutan turned his head to look at Violet.

“Don’t you think you have had enough?”

“Nooooo.” Violet giggled. “I just want to dance, come dance with me. Betty is all stupid and drunk and asleep under the table, but I’m not!”

“Babe, I’m pretty sure you’re both a little stupid, and a lot drunk.” Sutan smiled, the alcohol in his blood making his movements slow and clumsy. He didn’t normally drink this much, but him and Raga had been drowing shots for the last 10 songs or so, and he was more wasted than he had been in years.

“Uh! You big meanie man.” Violet kissed his cheek, her lips soft against his skin as she leaned heavily into him. “Wait, wait! I have an idea!” Violet pulled back and Sutan turned around to watch her. “Give me a test! I’ll prove I’m totally sober and then you’ll be the stupid drunk and not me!”

“Fuck this shit, I’m leaving.” Raga took the tray and walked to another table to wake up both Betty and Shane and make them finish the shots with him.

“…. Fine.” Sutan crossed his arms and watched Violet who took a sip of her drink, as steady in her heels as newborn baby deer was. “Dance for me.”

“You want me to dance for you?” Violet giggled again.

“Yes! Dance for me.”

“Yes sir, at your command.” Violet smiled, her eyes dark with something Sutan’s drunken brain almost recognised as desire. She put her drink down on the table, not dancing yet.

“What are you waiting fo-”

“There!” The music had just changed, and Sutan realised she had been waiting for the right number. He had mainly meant it as a joke, had just wanted to see if Violet could walk before he gave her more alcohol, but what was happening in front of him made his mouth go dry. Violet was moving her hips, his girlfriends ass looking amazing as she turned around, her arms over her head, her movements totally uninhibiated as she danced and Sutan was unsure for a moment if he had died and gone to heaven.

The song was slow and sensual, Violet’s body moving like she was dancing just for him, her entire attention focused on him as she took a step towards him, her hands grasping his knees before she bent over, the move letting Sutan look down her top, her white skin almost glowing in the dark of the bar, the music rushing in his ears.

“Fuck.”

“Who’s stupid now?” Violet smiled, her blood red lips nearly short-circuting his brain as she gently licked them, her pink tounge peeking out, her right hand grabbing the back of Sutan’s chair, her chest so close as she practically crawled into his lap, her hips moving to the rhythm of the music that had changed into a quicker beat now. Sutan could vaugely recognise the words /pour some sugar on me/, and he wanted to do nothing else to Violet’s body. He wanted to take her, spank her, fuck her, mark her, make her his, show her that she belonged to him and no one else.

Sutan gasped, Violet’s hand in his hair. “I said, who’s stupid now?”

“I am.”

“That’s right.”

Their lips met in a sloppy kiss, and it was the best Sutan had had in forever, his hands on her hips, his fingers digging in and leaving marks behind, nothing mattering but his girlfriend’s perfect lips.

***

Sutan practically tore the door to the bathroom stall open, and Violet groaned deep in her throat. Sutan had lifted her up like she weighed nothing and carried her off, ignoring all looks as he made his way towards the bathroom with her in his arms. Sutan kicked the door, and it slammed shut behind them, Violet following as she was slammed against it too as soon as it closed, Sutan’s lips on her throat, his teeth digging in, so deep it had to leave a mark, the pain bringing tears to Violet’s eyes, her thighs covered in wetness underneath her skirt. It was so like that night at the Mets, the same burning hot need running through her veins, the dirt on the floor, the disgustingness of the place not bothering her at all. She had to have him, and she had to have him now.

“Take me, take me, please, please, I.”

Sutan looked up, their eyes meeting, his pupils so blown his eyes looked as dark as the night sky, like he was more animal than human, like there was nothing left in him but his desire for her, his need to own her.

“Shut up.”

Violet gasped, a new gush of wetness making her shake. She nodded desperatly, the alcohol making her horny, her body felt like it was on fire, like the only thing that could make her feel better was the man in front of her. Violet held on, her legs pressed around Sutan’s hips, her arms around his neck, her lip caught between Sutan’s teeth as he undid his belt with one hand and pushed down his pants, his hand on Violet’s ass lifting her up a little, allowing him to fuck into her, making Violet cry out in pleasure, her thong pushed to the side. She was full, so full, so deliciously full, Sutan’s rhythm quick and brutal, the door handle digging into her lower back, one of her shoes on the floor, the door rattling with the force of their fucking. Violet moaned and gasped, groaned and whined, everything too much and yet not enough until Sutan bit her again and she came, her legs cramping as she clung to him, Sutan following her with a roar, the hot spurts of his cum inside her almost making her weep with joy. This was what it felt like to truly belong to someone, to be exactly where she wanted to be. Safe and loved, protected and desired, the man who was holding her up always there, the man that she knew with absolute certainty that she would spend the rest of her life with and that she loved with all of her heart.

***

“Shane! Shane, get up, you drunk asshat. Sutan got us a car.”

“What? I didn’t! I didn’t steal that sandwich maker, I told you already, it was Kyle!”

“The fuck are you talking about?”

“Kyle. My college roommate - nevermind.” Shane raised his head from the table, trying to focus his drunk eyes on the person in front of him. “Kitty? What’s going on? Your hair looks weird.”

Betty patted the side of her head, too tired and wasted to really care. “Fuck off. Let’s go home, okay? Come on.”

“Okay, sure.” Shane grabbed Betty’s forearm to haul himself up from the chair. “I just gotta tell Ruby - “

“She went like an hour ago with some douchebag, so don’t bother.”

“I really didn’t steal that sandwich maker”, whined Shane as they headed for the door where Sutan and Violet stood waiting.

“I know, babe. It’s okay.”

 

***

Snezhana,” Raja greeted softly as she saw Raven’s eyes begin to flutter as she sat down beside the bedridden woman. She had been so worried when she received the text from Raven that she was not feeling well. Even Jujubee messaged her saying that Detox and Kelly had driven Raven home and made sure she got into bed before they left. She was definitely going to have to send them something nice for helping her darling.

‘My poor baby,’ Raja thought to herself as she gently tucked a loose strand of hair behind Raven’s ear, before pressing a soft kiss to her feverish brow. Raven has been so stressed because she was helping Jujubee get the baby party together, she was working with Jaslene on her upcoming wedding since she was the maid of honor on top of trying to plan their own.

“Rajie”, whispered Raven as she slowly opened her eyes to see Raja sitting on the edge of their large bed beside her, in a lace robe and house slippers, her long hair half up and half down. “When did you get here?” she asked softly, leaning into Raja’s soft caress against her cheek.

“About an hour ago", Raja replied softly as she ran her hand through Raven’s hair, feeling the heat radiating through her scalp. “I came home as quickly as I could when I got your text. How are you feeling, my darling?”

Raven sighed deeply; she was running herself ragged and now it was catching up with her in the worst way. “I’m achy, sweaty, tired as fuck and I’m cold but hot at the same time", she grumbled as she shivered and beads of sweat glistened on her forehead under the dim lighting of their room. “I think I’m sick, Rajie", she said softly as she settled further into her fiancee.

Raja sat back and looked closely at Raven as she tried to pull the covers up to her chin, before she got frustrated and pushed them off of her. “Do you want to go back to sleep or do you want to eat some soup?” she asked softly as she dabbed lightly at Raven’s forehead with a cool cloth.

“Can we have snuggle time?” Rave asked as she felt Raja get up from bed.

“Of course,” Raja replied as she took off the rest of her jewelry and set them on their shared vanity they had in their room, which was one of several in their home. “Oh Rave, you’re still dressed, no wonder you’re hot,” Raja exclaimed after she pulled the comforter back only to find that Raven was still fully dressed, save for her heels that were sitting on the floor beside the bed.

Raven whined softly at Raja’s assessment; she didn’t even realize she was still dressed. “Oh,” she sighed as she felt Raja sit her up in their bed as she sat back down beside Raven now face to face. “I didn’t even remember walking into the building, let alone in bed", she said as she felt Raja’s fingers run through her hair as she gently took out the hidden bobby pins she had tucked into her hair earlier that day.

“It’s okay, I’m just happy you were able to get home safely,” Raja said gently as she felt Raven shiver under her touch. “Did you have fun visiting Juju and Gracie?” she asked Raven softly as she ran her fingers through her fiancée’s hair once more before she put the small pile of pins onto the side table on Raven’s side of their bed.

“Oh yes,” Raven replied breathily as Raja pulled her long hair up on the top of her hair in a messy bun. “Gracie is so precious, she reminds me of a little china doll with the cutest little button nose and chubby pink cheeks.”

“I’m sure she was as enamored with you as you were with her,” Raja said with a soft smile as she unbuttoned the sweater Raven had on before taking it off of the younger woman and laying her back down on the bed.

Raven quietly watched as Raja folded up her sweater and placed it on the foot of the bed. “Did you enjoy your night out with TanTan and Vi in Brooklyn?” Raven asked as she felt Raja take off her jewelry.

“I did,” Raja replied easily after she removed all of Raven’s excessive amount of jewelry she had on. “We were watching The Bach Street Boys perform, and I really liked them.” She continued as she got up from their bed to put all of Raven’s jewelry away in their boxes scattered on the vanity. “Shane who works down in design plays with them. I really enjoyed listening to them. He’s dating Betty, you know the one, with the pink hair and bright clothes.”

“Yeah, I remember her from the holiday party,” Raven said easily as she felt Raja unbutton her jeans and slowly pull them down.

“Yes, that is definitely Betty, I think she’s scared of me.” Raja said simply as she pulled the comforter over Raven’s now underwear-clad form, before folding up her jeans and picking up the discarded sweater. “For what reason I don’t know.”

Raven snorted as she rolled her eyes slightly, “Several reasons of why she may be afraid of you come to mind",  she said as she watched Raja almost glide across their large bedroom putting her clothes in the hamper.

“I tried to be nice, I even smiled in her general direction”, Raja countered as she turned the lights off, leaving their room bathed in the pale glow of the moon that came through the tops of their windows. “I think she thinks I hate her.”

“Do you?” Raven asked as she watched Raja shed the robe she had on, leaving her in her lacy thong and slippers and walking back to her side of the bed.

“No,” Raja answered easily. “I like her spirit and she is a fabulous designer", she continued as she set her phone on her side table before getting into bed.

“Well, whatever it is, hopefully she won’t pass out the next time you see her", Raven said with a soft giggle and yawn as she snuggled into Raja’s side, her hand resting in the middle of the Indonesian’s bare chest.

Raja chuckled softly as she wrapped her arm around Raven’s shoulders. “Let’s hope not, I don’t want to have to deal with the paperwork.”

“That, and you know Fame would fret and Patrick would fuss”, Raven said easily as she kissed Raja on her protruding collarbone.

“And I don’t have time for that”, Raja replied. “But are you feeling better, baby?” she asked as she felt Raven'shiver forehead and the slight heat radiating off of her.

“Yeah, much better now”, Raven said easily as she felt her eyes begin to get heavier. “Ra?”

“Yes?”

“Can you tell me a story?” Raven asked cutely as she rubbed her eyes that were struggling to stay open.

“Of course”, Raja replied sweetly as she pulled the covers up around them even higher, so Raven wouldn’t catch a chill before starting her story.

“Once upon a time, on a tropical little island, there were a pair of twins who met a tiger who lived in the ruins of an old Hindu temple.”

Betty was woken up by the morning sun, the light way too bright and harsh for her taste and her oversensitive eyes. Shane was whispering her name repeatedly, impatient to get her to open her eyes, his hand shaking her shoulder.

“What? What’s going on?”

Betty opened her eyes, her boyfriend’s familiar face greeting her, but that was also the only thing she recognized.

“Where the hell are we?”

Betty looked around the foreign room, blinking away the sleepiness, feeling a headache creep in.

The bedroom was huge, with a high ceiling and big windows, everything soaked in sunlight. The furniture was heavy and dark, everything kept in deep brown oak, with specks of green and gold here and there, the decor and the ever-present smell of incense unfortunately giving Betty flashbacks to being in Raja’s office for some reason.

“We’re at the Amrulls’, don’t you remember?”

“Vaguely.” Betty sat up. “It seems Sutan has the same sense of home decor as his lovely sister. Ugh.”

“I know, right?” Shane looked at Betty with a smile, tapping her arm. “Anyway, let’s get up and – do you have any idea where our clothes might be?”

Betty looked down at herself before her eyes went over Shane. They were both in just their underwear. Betty remembered complaining about being cold last night, so Shane gave her his undershirt before they passed out.

“Oh wait, I found a clue. It’s a note from Violet!”

A little Post-It was stuck to the locked door. Shane picked it up and read out loud. “Out for a walk with Frida, will be back with breakfast. Bathroom is down the hall to your left. I’ve laid out towels and toothbrushes. Sutan is still asleep, please leave him alone.”

“What the fuck is a Frida?”

“I assume she doesn’t mean Frida Kahlo, so maybe – I don’t know. I’ll go find the bathroom now, okay?”

Betty nodded, falling back to the pillows.

***

Shane found the bathroom immediately, Violet’s instructions easy to follow, but he couldn’t resist taking a little tour of the rest of the place. Violet had seen their apartment, so it was only fair that he got to snoop around at her place.

Shane found another empty, untouched bedroom besides a single desk by the window, a second bathroom a little smaller than the one near the room him and Betty slept in, as well as a living room. The whole place was stylish, but kind of cold and impersonal. Shane walked around the living room, noticing that the art on the walls was outdated, as if somebody put it there ten years ago and never bothered to change it. The only specks of life in the living room were a yoga mat right by the window, definitely a sign of Violet’s presence, some light weights, and something that looked like a dog’s chew toy, abandoned near the table.

Shane touched the back of the couch, two blankets, one blue and one green, draped over it, some of the only signs of added comfort to what could else be described as taken difectly from an interior designer’s webpage. Each little corner was absolutely, spotlessly clean, kind of making Shane miss his own apartment and randomly finding Betty’s scarves, folded together with kitchen rags.

Sutan must’ve been living in here for a long while, but he probably didn’t spend much time at home. Shane had never really bothered to learn much about Sutan’s job, but he knew that the man worked an amount of hours Shane wouldn’t wish on his worst emeny, so it wasn’t a stretch to assume the tidiness came from a lack of presence. Violet, however, was clearly a brand new presence, or just absurdly timid and neat with her stuff.

With that thought, he concluded the house tour before reaching the kitchen, jogging back to the guest bedroom to properly wake up his girlfriend who had fallen asleep, mouth open.

Shane was starving, and he needed food /now/.

***

The life that seemed to be mostly gone from the rest of the apartment concentrated in the kitchen. A radio was playing smooth jazz, some plants spread out on windowsills, a few photos hanging on the fridge, all of them printed from Instagram.

Betty and Shane walked into the kitchen in the robes they found in the bathroom, ready to eat whatever they could find, but Violet was already there, standing by the counter in a pair of tight jeans, her hair slightly damp, her face only covered in light make-up.

A little dog shoot up from where it was resting on the floor, excitedly running to greet the new visitors.

“Betty, Shane, good morning!” Violet smiled, a sweet expression on her face. “I can see you found the stuff I put out for you. I hope the shampoo was okay, Betty, I wasn’t sure what kind you used so I gave you an all-purpose one.”

“It was fine.”

“Oh my God, who’s that?” cooed Shane, already sitting on the floor to pet the pug that was wagging its tail excitedly, trying to smell him and lick his hand at the same time. “I didn’t know you had a puppy!

“Yes, this is Frida!” laughed Violet, solving the mystery from the morning Post-It. “I just got her a few days ago. Sorry if she bothers you too much, she’s still being trained and doesn’t know all the commands yet.”

“Are you kidding me?! She’s adorable! Can I – ?” gestured Shane, suggesting he wants to pick up Frida.

“Of course, go ahead.”

Shane stood up, his entire face smiling, presenting the little dog in his arms to Betty, who took a step back. Dogs were too unpredictable for her taste and she liked to keep a reasonable distance.

“Oh come on, babe, don’t be stupid. Look how small she is! She’s tiny! Are you? You’re still a baby, right, Frida?”

“You can just let her smell your hand, Betty. No need to be afraid.”

Betty put her palm forward carefully, holding in a breath as the pug bumped it with a wet nose.

“There you go, the pain is over, you’ve passed the test!” said Shane as Betty dared to give the puppy a little scratch behind the ear. He leveled the dog back to the floor, giving Betty a kiss and a reassuring squeeze to her fingers. “It wasn’t so bad, was it?”

Betty looked at Violet apologetically. “I’m not so good with dogs.”

“It’s okay! Thank you for trying.”

Betty smiled and rolled her eyes, annoyed at how chipper Violet was since she had seen how beyond wasted the girl had been the day before. Betty’s brain felt like it was trying to escape in liquid form out through her ear, and Violet had been well enough to put on mascara.

Violet kneeled on the floor, Frida immediately running to her. “Go wake up daddy”, she said, the puppy running off. “Sutan is still sleeping, but I went to the bakery round the corner and I got us all bagels.”

The food was spread on the kitchen table: bagels, cream cheese, salmon, peanut butter and jelly, cut up fruit, different juices and some cinnamon, since Violet was making herself porridge.

“Just eat whatever you want.”

“Don’t mind if we do!”

Violet carefully poured two cups of coffee, setting them on the table for Betty and Shane who sat down.

One corner of the table was fully occupied with a stack of fashion magazines that immediately drew Betty’s attention, her fingers automatically flipping through the glossy pages. She noticed some of the photos were torn off or cut away, entire pages missing.

“Ohhh, is that from Sutan’s work?” asked Shane, trying to smear cream cheese on a bagel while looking at a model portfolio he found on the table.

“Yes.” Violet smiled brightly. “He likes to bring work home. I’ve tried to tell him not to, but he doesn’t really care. The magazines are mine though.” She was standing at the stove, clearly trying to make scrambled eggs.

“That’s awesome, man.” Shane took a bite of his bagel and almost moaned with pleasure at the taste of real food. “Oh, look who graced us with their presence! Finally!”

“Ha ha, very funny, Shane.”

Sutan walked into the kitchen, his morning persona sharply different from his evening one: he was wearing a sweater and reading glasses, his hair not carefully styled like it usually was. He was carrying Frida under his arm, slowly shuffling to the stove to give Violet a morning kiss, his girlfriend accepting the pug from him.

“Did everyone sleep well?”

“We did, thanks!”

“Good, because I feel like a tiny army of drawfs is trying to mine diamonds in my head.” Sutan laughed. “Let me take over, baby.” Sutan gently directed Violet away from the stove, taking over the cooking. He reached on top of the exhaust hood, a pack of cigarettes and a lighter appearing, the man quickly lighting one as he turned on the hood.

Meanwhile, Violet joined Betty and Shane by the table, noticing the magazine Betty was flipping through.

“Oh, that’s such a good issue.”

“There’s definitely something intriguing about it, I agree… Did you cut out the photos?” asked Betty.

“Yes, I used them to make mood boards. Sutan is so sweet. He said I can potentially have a little workroom here, I can show you the room later if you’re interested?”

“Sure.”

“Violet, did you make these?” Sutan spoke up from the stove, the pan of eggs in his hand.

“I did! Is there anything wrong?”

“Baby, I know you tried, but I can see the eggshells.”

“Oh my God, that’s so embarrassing. I’m sorry. I’m not really much of a chef…”

“But you’re learning!“ Sutan threw away Violet’s attempt at scrambled eggs, getting out a clean frying pan to start over, his attention turning to Betty and Shane who had been watching the exchange.

’‘We’re making Pasta Alfredo next week, which I’m sure will work out great. Katya is teaching you how to bake for your turn at work, right?”

“Mmh… We’re making black bean brownies… The first batch didn’t turn out too well, but I still have time to practice…”

’'At least you’re willing to learn, unlike /some people/”. Shane looked up from his cup of coffee, sending Betty a look that made her roll her eyes.

“Remember that time I gave you food poisoning with a sandwich? Are you sure you want me to keep risking it, Shane?”

“Happens to the best of us”, shrugged Shane, grinning.

“So yeah, you can say I’m not the best chef either”, Betty smiled at Violet, unfolding her hands, trying to make her feel a little better. “We can’t all be great at everything.”

“Okay guys, who wants scrambled?” Sutan sat down, serving everybody the food he prepared, Violet just sticking to her porridge, Frida in her lap eating a small piece of watermelon. “How is everyone feeling? I’m not sure the last four rounds of shot were such a great idea.”

“Not so good…”, admitted Betty, missing the simpler times of being in her twenties, when hangovers didn’t hurt that much.

“Me neither, but I have this great hangover remedy recipe, we could totally make that!” Shane joined in enthusiastically, more than ready to share his miracle concoction.

“Oh no, please don’t. I’m going to throw up if you even say that.”

“Come on, don’t get weak on me, Elizabeth. Two words, Sutan: raw eggs.”

“Raw eggs?”

“Yeah! Crack two raw eggs, put them in a blender, add tomato juice, drink. I used to do that all the time in college, and man, it works.”

“Okay, you know what, I’m willing to give this a try. Ladies?”

Betty only shook her head, remembering her adventures with Shane’s hangover mixture.

“Pass”, said Violet, Frida jumping off her lap to finish her food in the corner. “I’m suffering, but not that much..”

“You girls are weak! I swear you’re gonna regret this when Sutan and I are hangover free, prancing around happily while you mop in the corner, your heads pounding. But it’s your choice.”

Violet rolled her eyes, a smile on her face as they all ate breakfast, both Sutan and Shane stoically chugging Shane’s hangover remidy, all of them chatting and relaxing before they had to show their faces at work.

***

“B! Look, gelato!” Courtney tugged on Bianca’s hand, pointing towards the cart.

“Gelato? What happened to veganism?”

Courtney smiled mischievously. “It’s fun to cheat once in awhile.”

“Oh really?” Bianca leaned in and kissed her gently.

“Mmmmm…Come on, my treat.” Courtney laced her fingers together behind Bianca’s neck.

“Oh no, I couldn’t possibly let you do that! I mean that’s like an hour of your salary from Galactica.”

Courtney laughed. “It’s the least I can do.”

“That is literally true,” Bianca said.

Courtney giggled again, pressing her body against Bianca’s and brushing her lips along her jaw. Bianca’s body melted into hers, and she took a slow breath, paying attention to the dog’s leashes in her hands, making sure that they didn’t slip away.

“Hey, Court?”

“Hmm?”

Bianca rested her chin on top of Courtney’s head, arms wrapped securely around her. “We can get the gelato in a minute. I don’t want to let go.”

Courtney closed her eyes and sighed softly, savoring the moment. “I love you, B,” she whispered.

“I love you too, sunshine.”

***

“You guys. Something is wrong here.” Trixie stopped right by Violet’s desk, pointing at the dark-haired girl who worked in an unusually slow way, then at Betty, nursing another giant cup of coffee, and Shane who was half asleep on his desk, tapping a pencil without a rhythm. “I smell a conspiracy! You arrived together super late today, and you all look like death on a stick - wait a minute, this has happened before! Do you guys get wasted together regularly now? Why did nobody invite me? I’m very, very hurt.” Trixie grabbed himself by the heart in a mocking gesture.

“You never wanted to come to my shows anyway.”

“What did you say, Shane?”

“That you never wanted to come see my shows! If you don’t support your employees, you don’t get to drink with them! Ouch, fuck, my head.”

“But I’m your boss!”

“Take Katya next time”, said Violet. “It’s really fun, I told you already.”

“Pff. Like I’m going to take the pregnant mother of my child out to some Brooklyn dumpster of a - ”

“Shh, Trixie. I’m sorry we came late today, it won’t happen again.” Violet tried to solve the situation tactfully.

“It’s okay. It’s design, I already told you you can come whenever fits as long as you do the job. Can we all just eat lunch together, maybe? So I wouldn’t feel so betrayed?”

“Sure thing, boss”, Violet smiled and Trixie responded with the same thing.

“That’s what I like to hear.”

 

***

Violet stepped up to the counter and took her iced tea, quickly thanking the barista and turning to leave. Violet had been out to walk Frida, testing how her puppy was doing and for how long she could walk by herself. Violet looked down to soothe Frida, who was squirming in her arms, clucking her tongue, excited to get back down on her own four paws not that she had rested. Violet gently tasted her tea, a smile on her face as it was sweet and perfect.

“Violet!”

Violet’s head snapped up, the girl surprised to hear her name. She looked around, finding none other than Chad Michaels, entering the cafe as she was getting ready to exit.

“Ms. Michaels! Hello!” Violet wished desperately she could smooth down her clothes. Was she wearing something appropriate? Was her makeup okay? Was any of Frida’s fur on her sweater? Violet’s face slid into her assistant’s mask, a pleasant smile on her face. “How are you?”

“I’m great! And who is this precious little lovebug?” Chad held out her hand to Frida, who nibbled gently on her fingers, excited to meet someone knew. Violet gently put a palm over Frida’s stomach, balancing her tea away from her dog in an attempt to keep it calm.

“This is Frida. Frida, say hi to Ms. Michaels.”

Frida didn’t make a sound, too busy nibbling on the older woman’s thumb.

“Hi Frida.” Chad smiled brightly. “Your mommy is a rock star. Yes she is. Yes she is…”

Violet giggled, overwhelmed at the sudden praise. “Thank you….” She wasn’t sure if the words were for her, but Chad Michaels had just called her a rockstar, which was a pretty big deal.

Chad grinned. She pulled away, clearly ready to go on, but Violet had to say something. She had to do something.

“Ms. Michaels!”

“Yes?”

“I… Thank you, thank you for allowing me to make a dress for you to wear to the amFAR gala… I, I don’t think I ever properly told you.. I’m… It means a lot to me, and I’m very very grateful for the opportunity…”

“Oh my GOSH, darling, it was an honor to wear that fabulous gown! Actually, I’ve been meaning to call you, because more than one of my friends just went gaga over it and I think you have a few potential new clients. I promise to only put you in touch with the ones who can afford it.”

Violet’s eyes widened. “Really? More commissions?”

“Yes, of course! I don’t want to hold you up, so email me later today to remind me, and I’ll loop you in with a few of them. Word’s gonna travel fast about you, young lady.” With one last scratch to Frida’s head, Chad leaned in for a few air kisses and glided up to the counter, leaving Violet to go out onto the streets, her head ready to burst with joy. Violet put Frida down and grabbed her phone, knowing that she had to tell Sutan right away, so he could share her happiness.

***

“Hey man, good to see you” Sutan grabbed Karl’s hand, the two men hugging, Karl patting Sutan on the back before they released each other and sat down. They were in a bar in Harlem, one of the places they had gone to in their youth and one that Sutan privately thought of as theirs. He and Karl had spent countless nights there, talking about everything and nothing, each talking the other back to sanity again and again. It was in this bar that they had become best friends, and for that it would always be special to him.

“I wasn’t sure what you wanted, so I got us a beer and some nachos.” Karl smiled and pushed one of the glasses towards his friend.

“With extra salsa?”

“Of course.”

“You are a man after my own heart, Karl Westerberg.”

Sutan grabbed the drink his friend offered, taking a sip of the still cold beer, a smile on his face. He had come straight from work, so he had been a little late, Naomi once again holding him after hours when she had begged for him to help her pick out photos for her instagram from her new lingerie shoot. Sutan didn’t mind, but he had to admit that he was slightly worried about Naomi, the girl growing more and more provocative in the types of shoots she requested and the work she accepted.

“Penny for your thoughts.” Sutan turned his attention to Karl, a smile on his face as he saw his friends silly and excited expression.

He and Karl hadn’t had time to meet up in months. Karl was bicoastal and often traveling, the fact that he had a base in London meaning that Model Management constantly sent him out on the streets, doing the grunt work and the type of scouting Sutan hadn’t done in years. The last time the two of them had been in the same city was for a few brief days during the Fashion Week month. Karl had done Copenhagen and Berlin, passing up on New York and the first few days of London, the men’s path not crossing until Paris.

“So did you find anything exciting? In Europe I mean?” Sutan was smiling, he had gotten about fifteen new girls home, none of them exciting enough that he had bothered to sign them directly to himself, but his coworkers had been over them like dogs on meat, eagerly paying Sutan’s discovery fee and the extra cost he had laid on, everyone at the company knowing that an Amrull girl was like a prized mare, ready to earn their keep right away.

Sutan hadn’t quite decided what he’d do with the money yet, the last five of the girls he had bought home a surprise even to him, but he was thinking about taking Violet on a weekend trip somewhere. His girlfriend deserved some time to relax, and maybe some new clothes. He had seen how she had looked oh so longingly after a set of Dior shoes the last time they had taken a stroll through his neighborhood in SoHo. That or maybe some upgrades to his apartment. He knew Violet didn’t /mind/ his place, but he had seen the care she had put into her own small room at Fame’s glittered talent cage, everything carefully selected, everything organised and put in place and he wanted her to extend that to his home, wanted her to feel like she belonged there, so an auction or three would probably not be amiss, a good chance for Violet to have her say at what he should change, without it being too much too soon, they had only been dating for 8 short months after all.

“Copenhagen was fine, but you know what they say.”

Sutan was taken back by Karl’s voice, the man’s smile and the new watch on his wrist clearly telling Sutan exactly what Karl meant. Scandinavia was a goldmine, the boys and girls of that region ripe and ready for taking since the local model industry was terribly lacking in terms of aggression.

“If you see a pretty girl in Manhattan, she’s already a model?” Sutan smirked, happily teasing his friend.

“Ha ha, very funny, here I was, about to give you some real advice and then you sass me.”

“Calm down, drama queen.”

Karl laughed, giving Sutan a kick underneath the table before he leaned back into the booth they were in.

“I’ve missed you too.”

The two fell into conversation, their phones in their pockets as they caught up, neither of them wanting the distraction their jobs often provided, though they both watched the door each time it opened and closed, both of them quickly taking stock of everyone who walks in.

“Too bad, that one is almost good, but it looks like her leg is slightly damaged. I don’t think she’s signed, but I’m not sure she’d bring in a good price.”

Karl rolled his eyes. “I swear you were a jockey in a former life. No one can reduce a girl to a slab of meat as fast as you can. You look at a girl and know what she’s worth by the pound. Too bad it’s illegal to do actual breeding, or you’d be a millionaire. Cheers to the biggest douchebag I know.”

“Cheers to you too, Karl.” Sutan smiled, the men clinking glasses before they emptied them. “And unless you forgot, I am a millionaire, and next round is on me, because that’s what good friends do.” Sutan flagged down a waiter and ordered, the woman smiling brightly as Sutan tipped her.

“I heard Raven got sick, in Paris I mean”

“Yeah, but she came through as she always does. Violet had these really good Japanese drugs that I have to look into getting, they peaked Raven up right away almost as good as her coffee blends.” Sutan took the new beers that arrived. Karl snorted, clearly remember Raven’s disgusting habits when she needed a pick me up. Coffee and alcohol mixed together with caffeine powder.

“She’s been having some trouble lately, but you know how it is when girls have to get down to on season size.”

“Tell me about it.”

Karl emptied their nachos basket, the two men chatting back and forth, Karl genuinely apologetic when he talked about how he couldn’t make it to Fames dinner.

“That’s too bad, rumour has it that Bianca is bringing her newest chew toy around for everyone to see.”

“So you’re acting high and mighty now? Need I remind how old your own girlfriend is?”

“23.”

Karl smiled. “Fuck, it still feels weird that you have an /actual/ girlfriend, man. She’s a designer at Fame’s company, correct?”

“She is. Chad Michaels wore one of her designs last month.”

“Really? Good for her. That’s a smart move.” Karl held up their empty basket of nachos. “Hey, waiter, can we get a refill? Chop chop!”

“Smart move?” Sutan crossed his arms, something in Karl’s tone making him feel uncomfortable.

“I’m just saying that from a golddigging perspective, everyone and their grandmother knows you don’t fuck models.” Karl wasn’t even looking at Sutan, not realizing that his friend was staring at him, not believing what he was saying either. “Being a designer makes much more sense.”

“A golddigger? Violet is not a golddigger.”

“Come on man, you have to have had the thought?”

Sutan shook his head.

“Then you’re dumber than you look. Think about it Sutan, she’s 23 and she has a full-time position at the company that /your/ sister and your friend own.”

“She already worked there when I met her.”

“As an assistant, if the rumour runs true.”

Sutan felt uncomfortable, like his stomach was freezing to ice. What if Karl was right?

“You post about her on social media constantly.”

“I do not.”

“You don’t show her face or her body for whatever fucked up reason that is.” Karl pointed at Sutan, now actually getting into showing his friend how wrong he was, which was one of Karl’s favorite pasttimes. “But you show the stuff she makes all the time, you tweet her shows, you create hype around her. Don’t think I haven’t seen how your fans react whenever you hint to Violet’s presence in your life. They’d do anything to be a little like you, to have even an ounce of the lifestyle you’re selling. Sutan Amrull, gatekeeper of Elite.”

“That’s not my name, or game, come on Karl, you’re being a jerk.”

“I’m being real, do you really think Chad Michaels just happened to see something she made and wanted it? Fashion doesn’t work that way. Raven wore the gown Violet made, and you know how Chad is around Raven. Bigger and better is the only acceptable way.”

“Or maybe Chad just really liked the design.”

“You bought her everywhere with you when you were in Paris. Do you think she would have met half the people she have met today if it wasn’t for you? Network is gold these days, so I’m not saying she’s just sucking your dick for money. I’m just trying to look out for you,man.”

Sutan could feel himself getting annoyed, but he couldn’t just brush off Karl’s words.

Violet had never asked him for anything, everything he had given her a gift because he wanted to make her happy, he wanted to see her smile and because he loved her, but what if Karl was right? Violet had brought up the bank thing after all. What if it had all been an elaborate scheme where she hoped he would pay it off for her? But her reactions, her anger at the dinner, her helplessness, her gratitude and her absolute joy at Christmas have felt so real.

Violet had seemed like she didn’t know him when they first met, the girl ready to run, but as soon as he had asked her to stay she happily did, never shying away from contact with him. He constantly took Violet places, and she always seemed so happy, so grateful, but what if she was a little too grateful? Sutan bit the inside of his cheek. He had just bought her a 2000 dollar puppy, all because Violet had cried. He had considered spending his entire bonus on things for her, things that would make her happy. What if it was all a mistake?

Sutan had dated girls who was with him mainly for his money, his fame or his connections, but that had been fine with him because he was using the girls right back. He had no interest in meeting their families or their friends, no interest in ever having anything real with them, so he didn’t care at all that they were in a mutually beneficial relationship, but the thought that Violet could see him like that, that one of his best friends thought she was only using him made him sick to his stomach.

“Hey man, are you okay?”

“I’m fine. Let’s talk about something else. Want to play pool? I’m sure I can still wipe the floors with your face.”

“Big words when you’re talking to the Pool Master of the Barcelona trip of 2008.”

Sutan smiled, Karl’s words still nagging at the back of his mind as they made their way to the pool table. What if Violet really was using him? What if everything they had was a lie?

***

“Heeeey guys, it’s me, Pearlie, and welcome to another - hick - like, installment of Bedtime Stories! As you can see, I’m pretty damn wasted.”

Pearl was holding her phone in her extended hand, letting the camera pan down over her smudged lipstick, the bite marks on her collarbone, to her lacy white bra and toned stomach. Periscope viewers started to tick in, sending her an endless stream of hearts. “Soooo, Laila and I went to The Attic tonight - yes, Alisha, she’s here, she’s taking a shower - aaaand, like I showed you guys on Instagram, they had these drinks that - I forgot the name, okay, chill, but they light them on fire, the flame burns out and then you drink - Laaaaila!!! Laila, babe, come say hi!”

“Who are you talking to?” Laila stepped out of the bathroom, her hair dripping wet to her My Chemical Romance t-shirt.

“Like, everybody! I’m on Periscope.” Pearl pulled on Laila’s hand to make her sit next to her, Laila covering her own face.

“My makeup is already off, dude.”

“It doesn’t matter, you’re beautiful anyway, isn’t she, guys?” Pearl’s viewers started commenting like somebody lit a fire under their ass, assuring of Laila’s beauty.

“/Laila you slay, gorgeous, beautiful af, you guys are both goals…/ what, boo, I’m just reading you what they’re writing!”

Laila kept looking at the screen through her fingers. “This one says I look like a thumb dressed up as a girl.”

“Ugh, fuck off, hater”, said Pearl, kissing Laila’s cheek and holding her protectively around the waist. “Anyone says anything mean about my girl and I’m turning the comments off forever. Like, stay in your line. Lane. Whatever.”

Laila relaxed into Pearl’s side, trying to read more comments as they ticked in.

“Do you guys want to watch me paint Pearl’s face sometime?”

A stream of “YES” and “fuck yeah” followed by more hearts. “See? She’s not only beautiful, she is also brilliant! She even went to college!”

“Fuck you, I dropped out.”

“I don’t care! Okay, everybody, Bedtime Stories over, because we’re gonna f-”

“PEARL!” Laila threw herself at the other girl, trying to grab for the phone, but Pearl’s hands were longer.

“We’re gonna go to bed, Jesus, BonBon, get your mind out of the gutter. See you next time, guuuys, remember to follow Laila on Instagram at misslailamcqueen and me on Instagram and Twitter at pearliaison, you can also watch my newest video on the Galactica channel where I - what was the last video? I don’t remember, but go fucking watch it, goodnight. How do I turn this off?”

 

***

Miss Fame’s dinner party was a lovely, mild spring night - typical for the weather to comply with her plans. Prior to dinner, everyone milled about the drawing room, drinking wine and chatting. Bianca sat on a stool by Fame’s wet bar with her arms around Courtney from behind, talking to Patrick and Violet. Raja glared at them, shooting daggers across the room with her eyes.

Bianca turned Courtney away to shield her from her angry friend, whispering into her ear. “Thank you for coming, baby. You are so amazing. I’m gonna go crazy watching you across the table all night.”

Courtney giggled, blushing, then caught the very briefest icy glance from Violet and shivered. Within less than a second, Violet’s face had returned to a pleasant, neutral expression.   
Courtney blinked. Had she imagined it?

Fame clapped her hands. “Alright everyone! Chef Darienne is getting ready to serve the first course. “Please find your seats.”

“Placecards?” Bianca groaned, and then saw who Fame had placed next to her. Raja. She shot Fame a death glare and Fame just grinned sweetly. She looked at Raja, muttering, “Well, this’ll be fucking enchanting.”

Raja cocked her head at Sutan across the table. “Did you hear something, TanTan?”

Sutan raised his eyebrows and smiled, shaking his head. [“Raja don’t you think it’s time to call it quits? She is your best friend.”] He asked his sister softly. He didn’t like to see his sister angry because she was so…unnecessarily petty.

[“No, because I’m a petty bitch.”]

“Oh great, twin talk is back. How inviting,” Bianca said, rolling her eyes.

“Actually, I was defending you, but now…[you’re on your own, bitch!]” Sutan raised a glass to Bianca.

Raja laughed. [“Good one, bro.”]

Bianca rolled her eyes again, so hard she almost got a headache.

“Fame, have I told you how much of a delight I find you to be?” asked Raja as she settled in the seat her brother pulled out for her.

“Oh thank you, Raja, you know I try my best,” Fame replied with a self indulgent smile. “I do hope you all enjoy the menu I have planned in coordination with Chef Darienne, it’s bound to be a delicious affair,” she finish with a light smile to all of her friends who were now sitting down.

“Hey Raven, how’s the engagement going? Do you have a date yet, or is your fiancée still dragging her feet?” Bianca sipped her wine innocently.

Raven rolled her eyes, bored with this childish fuckery and refusing to get involved. Bianca would get their save-the-date soon enough. That is, if Raja put her back on the guest list.

Raven didn’t care either way. And she doubted that Courtney would be around much longer, so there was really no point in arguing.

Next to her, Courtney’s eyes bulged, terrified of the floodgates Bianca had just opened. Bianca winked at her.

Raja noticed their little exchange and decided to kick things up a notch. “Courtney…” started   
Raja as she glanced at her casually from across the table. “That’s a beautiful necklace. Where   
did you get it?” she asked, bringing her cup to her lips.

“Um, B…Bianca got it for me.” Courtney fingered the pink pearls nervously.

Raja smiled icily. “Well, isn’t that nice? She’s so generous.”

Violet exchanged a look with Sutan. She was still beyond irritated about having to see Courtney all the time, but Raja could be vicious, and she wondered if this was going to get uncomfortable for the rest of them.

“Oh, fuck off, Raja. You know full well those came in the Dior gift bag. Don’t be a twat.”   
Bianca rolled her eyes.  
Raja turned towards Bianca. “You know, if you’d have just talked to either Fame or myself–”

“Oh I’m sorry, I didn’t realize that the world revolved around you–”

“Since when do you put some trick above your friends–”

“She’s not a TRICK, you judgmental assho–”

Fame slammed her fist down on the table, causing everyone to jump. “That’s ENOUGH!”

She glared at both of them, then softened her tone and spoke slowly and evenly. “Now. Are we going to have a pleasant evening, or do I have to send both of you home without supper?”

“I don’t eat,” said Raja as she took a smug sip of her Merlot. Fame rolled her eyes at Raja’s sass.

“Then how about a spanking?” Fame asked.

Bianca scoffed. “Eh, that would have worked fifteen years ago, but you are too old for us now, blondie.”

Bianca and Raja looked at each other and burst out laughing.

Raja punched her shoulder. “Damn bitch, that was a good one.”

“Thank you. I know, though.” She high-fived Raja and grinned wickedly.

“And I dunno, B, this lighting is pretty forgiving. We could give her a shot,” Raja said through her laughter.

“Been there, done that…” Bianca cackled.

“I may have just remembered why we’re friends in the first place,” Raja said, wiping her eyes.

Fame shook her head. “Because you’re both terrible?”

“Exactly,” Bianca answered, still chuckling. “That and a thing for gorgeous blondes.” She gave Courtney a lascivious look, watching her cheeks turn pink.

“Ugh, I think I’m going to be sick,” groaned Raja.

Raven turned her head slightly to Courtney, addressing her for the first time all night. “And they claim they don’t treat us like objects.”

“Uh, I never made that claim,” Bianca said with a wink.

Raja threw back the rest of her wine and picked up the bottle, grinning. She offered it to Bianca. “More, asshole?”

“Thanks, cunt.” Bianca rested her head lovingly on Raja’s shoulder as she poured.

“Just know, I still hate you and I’m still going to be petty,” said Raja as she sat the bottle down.

“And I wouldn’t expect anything less from you,” Bianca replied, having a toast with her best friend Raja…who still probably wanted to kill her.

Later, after dinner, as everyone sat around the living room chatting, Courtney slipped away from the group. She leaned against a wall, thoughts racing, trying to compose herself. Her head was spinning.

Adore had told her all about Violet’s vacation plans, and why Violet and Raven were so angry, and at first she thought that Adore was exaggerating. She left after the holidays.

Everyone was back from vacation. Then she remembered about Violet’s leg. Of course they postponed their ski trip. But still…she held out hope that they could figure out a way to get along, to have fun together, even if they weren’t best friends. After all, if everyone thought she was some slutty sugar baby, they probably thought the same thing about Violet, right?

She started to breathe faster, heart hammering, chest tight. She should have reached out, should have apologized, and now it was too late. Shame coursed through her veins, tears burning her eyes.

Violet had seen Courtney go down the hall and she’d waited a good ten minutes, assuming the blonde was just using the bathroom and expecting her to skip back into the room any minute. And if she didn’t…well, why should Violet care?

Of course, she kind of understood what Courtney was probably feeling. She’d felt so out of place and awkward at first, and that was without anyone openly judging her or her relationship, but she had dealt with the awkwardness anyway. Violet figured Courtney had to be hiding somewhere in the house, so she quickly excused herself from the table to go look for her.

When she turned the corner, there Courtney was, head in her hands, gasping for breath, tears falling down her cheeks. Violet was so used to seeing her looking ignorantly chipper that for a moment, it caught her off guard. This raw, uncomfortable display of vulnerability. She nearly backed away, but then noticed that she really did appear to be having some kind of anxiety attack.

Through her blurry vision, Courtney saw Violet coming down the hall, felt a hand on her shoulder. She tried to speak, tried to say she was sorry, but she couldn’t. A sob escaped her. ‘I’m sorry’ wouldn’t be enough. Nothing would ever be enough. She thought she was done making a mess of everything, and now…

“Courtney? What’s hap- Courtney, are you okay?” Violet put her hand on Courtney’s chin, holding it. “Courtney, breath with me. I need you to focus on my face. Take a deep breath.”

Violet tried to make contact with Courtney, but she got nothing, Courtney’s eyes still filled with panic, her breathing so quick and erratic she was turning blue. This wasn’t Violet’s first panic attack, she had seen several at Galactica and at the ballet, but Courtney was completely out of her reach.

“Bianca!? Bianca please come here!! NOW!!”

Violet looked at Courtney again, squeezing her hand, gently shushing her and trying to keep her calm.

Bianca hurried down the hall, a look of dread on her face when she saw the state Courtney was in. “What the fuck did you say to her?!” she exclaimed angrily, glaring at Violet.

Courtney shook her head. She couldn’t be the cause of another fight. “Not…her…fault…” she choked out.

Bianca pushed Violet out of the way and scooped Courtney up, ducking into the nearest bedroom.

“What’s going on?” Fame asked, catching Violet who was on her way away from the mess, desperate to escape.

“Panic attack,” Violet explained. Fame released her, and Violet bolted down the hall.

Concerned, Fame stepped into the doorway. Bianca had Courtney in her lap, holding her face and whispering to her.

“Baby, please take a breath. Just one breath? Can you do that for me?”

Courtney gasped.

“Good girl, now let it out, nice and slow…there you go. Can you feel my arms around you?”

Courtney nodded.

“Another breath…good. I’ve got you, okay? You’re safe. I promise you’re safe.”

Courtney took another shallow, shaky breath, and looked up at Fame. “I’m s-sorry…I’m–”

“Hey, it’s okay. No one is mad at you. Right?” Bianca shot Fame a dirty look, daggers in her eyes.

Fame nodded. “Of course not, dear.”

The tears started falling faster. “W-why not? I ruined…everything…”

“Because we’re all here, and we’re all healthy, and we all just ate and drank about ten grand worth of fancy-ass food and wine. We’re great. Okay? We’re the lucky ones. Breathe for me.”

Courtney nodded, taking a breath, tears slowing down.

“There you go. See? You’re okay.” Bianca rocked her gently. “You’re better than okay. You’re amazing.”

As her breathing slowly returned to a normal rhythm, Courtney’s head dropped onto Bianca’s   
shoulder, exhausted. “I love you, B,” she whispered.

“I love you too, baby. So fucking much.” Bianca held her tight, then looked up to see Fame, still in the doorway, a conspiratorial little smile on her lips. “What?!” she asked, irritated.

Fame grinned. “Nothing, it’s just…you’re a good person. I know you try to hide that, but…”

Bianca rolled her eyes. “Don’t tell anyone.”

Fame laughed. “Your secret’s safe with me.”

Courtney sighed softly, nerves settling, letting Bianca continue to rock her slowly.

Fame clasped her hands. “Who’s ready for dessert?”

“Go ahead and serve,” Bianca said, rolling her eyes slightly. “We’ll come out when she’s   
ready.”

*

“Where were you, Rave?” asked Raja as she sat back down at the table.

“In the bathroom touching up my makeup and taking selfies. Fame’s bathroom has fabulous lighting,” Raven replied easily after she took a sip of wine. “What did I miss? Where’s the Queen of Mean and her little princess?”

“Courtney and Bianca are in one of the spare bedrooms because Courtney had a panic attack,” Fame explained with a soft frown.

“Oh…that’s unfortunate,” Raven said blankly, bright kohl grey eyes slowly opening and closing. “What made her freak out?”

“I’m not sure, exactly…Violet found her. I didn’t really interrogate Violet, since she seemed shaken too.”

“Ah.” Raven stated flatly. “Well, whatever. What’s for dessert?”

“Are you serious, Raven?” asked Patrick incredulously, though not truly surprised at what she said. “She could have been hurt.”

“But she will survive so there’s no reason for me to get upset over nothing. I’m sure Bianca is there putting pink kitty bandages on her little booboos.”

Raja knew Raven was upset with Courtney because of the Aspen incident with both Violet and herself, but she rarely saw her this cold and heartless. “Babe…”

“And, life will continue to go on as it has done for a millennia and a day,” Raven finished, grinning sweetly.

*

Bianca leaned against the bathroom counter, watching Courtney wash her face and dry it with a hand towel. She stepped closer and took both of her hands, kissing her fingers. “Feeling any better?”

Courtney nodded, but her eyes still looked far away. “B?”

“Yes, angel?”

“Um…do you think…I can’t stop feeling guilty about the way I left that job. And Violet, and–”

“Please stop.” Bianca moved closer, gathering Courtney into her arms. “Listen to me. You have NOTHING to feel guilty about. Okay? You quit a job you hated. The fact that Fame demoted Violet to cover the desk is not your problem, nor your responsibility. Of course they are gonna try blame to you. That’s much easier than admitting that what Fame did to Violet was shitty and unnecessary. I love Fame, but everyone around here acts as if she walks on   
water. You need to ignore that nonsense. She’s human; she makes mistakes too.”  
Courtney nodded.

“And by the way, it’s me they’re mad at, not you. They are just using you to get to me because I’m fucking indestructible and they know it.”

Courtney smiled slightly, taking a step towards her.

“Does that help at all? Are you okay? Tell me what you need, baby.” Bianca stroked her face   
with the back of her hand.

“I need…I need you to kiss me,” Courtney said.

“That I can do,” Bianca smiled, brushing their lips together, pulling her closer.

Courtney slid her hands around her waist, gazing up her. “I love you so much. I don’t know how I got so lucky.”

“Me too…” Bianca nuzzled her cheekbones. “You’re turning me into a fucking sap, angel.”

“I think you were probably always a sap. I just set it free.” Courtney giggled and gripped her tighter, resting a head on her shoulder.

***

“Miss Z, Miss Z!”

Katya looked up from the play dough she was helping one of the other kids make into something Katya was pretty sure was suppose to potentially be a slug monster, but no one really knew once Larry got going.

“Yes, Gloria?”

“Suzanne has taken all the crayons!”

“Have you told her you wanted to play too?”

“Yes! But she’s a bitch!”

“Gloria! Language.”

“Sorry Miss Z…”

Katya smiled and ran her hand through Gloria’s short hair. “Thank you. Now I know it’s hard, but please remember, calling others names are not okay.”

“She still has all the crayons…”

“Let’s go take a look at it, okay?”

Suzanne was sitting at one of the table, all the crayons stacked in front of her in a big pile.

“Suzanne, what are you doing?”

“A picture..”

“What are you drawing?”

“A butterfly.”

Katya gently placed a hand on Suzanne’s arm, the girl flinching away and Katya pulled her hand back instantly.

“Gloria.”

“Yes, Miss Z?”

“Go to my desk and get some new crayons okay. I have to talk to Suzanne.”

Gloria nodded, the other kids looking at her in envy as she got to be the first one to use a whole new box.

Katya was looking at Suzanne, the little girl hoarding the crayons like it was the only thing she had, the only thing that mattered.

“Who did your hair today? It looks lovely.”

“I did.”

“You did?”

Katya knew Suzanne had just gotten a little sister, the baby apparently craving more of her parents attention than they could handle. The other kids at school called Suzanne Crazy Eyes, Katya had tried to stop it, but she didn’t really know what to do about it, the kids for once not acting out of spite but more out of fright since Suzanne had a tendency to explode, the little girl very bad at handling her emotions.

“And what about your dress? Did you pick that as well?”

“Mmh…”

“It’s very cute.” Katya bit her lip, the fact that the girl had apparently had to both do her own hair and dress herself that morning not a good sign.

“Are you hungry? I have some raisins if you want them?”

“Mmh…”

This was not good. Not good at all. It was only a little after nine, and if Suzanne was hungry there was a good chance she hadn’t had breakfast. Katya always dreaded the conversations with the parents because she knew they all did their best with what they had, but she had to get the girl out of there, had to really talk to her before she did anything else. Katya could sense Suzanne tense up more and more.

“How about you and I go out into the hallway and hang your drawing up? You can have some raisins and we can talk. Come, you can put them wherever you want on the drawing wall.” Katya reached out, bending slightly over to take the drawings Suzanne had finished, not touching her, careful to leave her her space.

“NO!!! They’re mine!!!”

The move had been too much for the little girl, even though Katya had been slow. Suzanne jumped up from her chair, her small arms punishing Katya, the pregnant woman falling over, her stomach smashing into the table. Katya had been caught off guard and off balance, the kids all screaming in fear as she crashed.

 


	31. Chapter 31

“I’m fine. I promise.”

“Your stomach is one giant bruise!!”

Trixie was pacing, his breathing erratic as he walked from one side of the tiny hospital room to the other.

Katya tried to sit up in the bed, but Trixie was at her side in an instant, his hand on her shoulder holding her down.

“No, lay still. Katya, please.”

“The doctors told me I’m fine.”

Katya had been rushed to the hospital after Suzanne’s push, the little girl only acting out in fright and anger, but Katya had landed flat on her stomach, the hit taking her breath away, pain going through her like a lightning bolt, her arms and legs jittering in pain. Katya had insisted said she was fine, had insisted that everything was okay, wanting to stay with her preschoolers, who were scared out of their minds. However, the other teachers had forced her to go to the hospital. Katya’s friend Beth who was teaching 8th year history had been talking about how one of her friend’s cousins got a baby with Down’s Syndrome because the mom had hit her belly on a fridge. Katya knew Beth wasn’t telling the truth, but the woman had grabbed one of her arms while the gym teacher had taken the other and dragged her off to her car, practically forcing Suzanne out of Katya’s arms.

Katya had done her best to calm Suzanne down, the girl scared and crying, her little hand hitting her own head again and again and again as she yelled about how stupid she was until the principal himself had told Katya that she was released for the day, and that he would suspend her if she didn’t leave school property.

“The doctors have already checked me over, I’m fine. I promise. He told me I should eat a little extra salt and that my shoes aren’t ergonomically correct, but I’m fine.”

Trixie was sitting at her bedside, her brave little man desperately trying to hold back tears.

“Hey, hey, it’s okay.”

Trixie started crying, really crying at the soft sound of Katya’s voice. He and Pearl had arrived together, Pearl coming with her best friend as support since Trixie himself had practically been ready for admission to a hospital himself, the man two steps away from hyperventilating fully when they finally made it to the building, so desperate.

“Come here.”

Katya lifted up the covers in her bed, and Trixie quickly toed off his shoes and climbed in, careful not to put any pressure on Katya’s belly as he settled into her arms.

“I’m okay. I promise.”

“And what about Avo baby?”

“He’s fine too, here.”

Katya took Trixie’s hand, the man almost pulling away, but Katya placed it on her belly. Trixie gasped and started crying since he could feel the baby kicking against his hand, real, living proof that Avo was in there.

“Hey buddy… Yes, hi, it’s me, dede. You really scared me for a minute there… I’m sorry mommy got hurt, but we promise we’re taking care of you.”

“Everything is okay.” Katya kissed Trixie’s forehead, and Trixie breathed a sigh of relief, the man falling asleep in Katya’s arms, the stress and the panic knocking him out, just as Pearl opened the door to the room, her hands filled with vending machine snacks, gift shop Get Well Soon balloons and bad hospital coffee and Katya smiled brightly, her friend a sight for sore eyes.

***

“HIPS! HIPS! DOWN, UP, WALK, 6, 7, 8, and POSE!”

Courtney hit the final beat of the routine, Derrick’s voice ringing in her ears. Her skin was drenched in sweat, workout clothes sticking to her.

“Good job!” Derrick handed her a bottle of water and grinned. “I knew you had rhythm in you somewhere…”

Courtney laughed breathlessly and chugged the water.

“Why don’t you take 5 and then we can run through both sequences a few more times? The backup dancers will be here tomorrow and I want you to feel solid.”

“Thanks.” Courtney flashed her a grateful smile and wandered over to her bag, fishing out her phone. She saw that she had 20 messages from Morgan and her heart dropped, hoping that nothing was wrong. She unlocked her phone and scanned through.

MORGAN: Dude…  
MORGAN: Have you come out to your mom yet?  
MORGAN: If not, you might wanna   
MORGAN: Like now…  
MORGAN: [LINK]  
MORGAN: Have you seen this shit?

About a dozen more links followed.

MORGAN: At least they think you’re cute though  
MORGAN: So there’s that…  
MORGAN: This one is my favorite. [LINK]

Wrinkling her brow, Courtney began to click on the links. The first one was a picture of her with Bianca at the amFAR Gala, getting out of the limo. Her face looked mildly bewildered and she clung to Bianca’s hand like a child. She winced, reading the caption. “BDR’s new bae appears to be her youngest conquest yet. What’s your secret, B?”

The second one was them in the park, walking the dogs, as Courtney leaned on Bianca’s shoulder and laughed. “We’re told this little blonde cutie’s name is Courtney. Sources say that she met BDR through her baby sister, the punk rock princess Adore Delano.”

The next link was a series of three pictures…in the first one, Courtney browsed through a rack of dresses in the window of Alice + Olivia. Next was a picture of Bianca standing behind her, arms wrapped around her waist, kissing her on the neck. In the third one, they were leaving the store, arms linked, carrying a bunch of shopping bags. “BDR and Courtney engaging in some retail therapy and springtime PDA.”

Courtney’s heart raced as she looked through more pictures. In one she was hailing a cab. In another they were sitting cuddled up in a candlelit restaurant. Walking down the street with her arms full of shopping bags. Or there was the one where Bianca tilted her chin up and kissed her while they stood beside a town car. Or in the window of a juice bar. Or pressed against a tree in Central Park. Courtney jogging in the park. One of the captions, over a picture of them at By Chloe, fingers laced together, made her cringe. “Hot tea about BDR’s sugar baby, little Courtney Act…Apparently she used to work for B’s longtime friend and colleague, none other than Miss Fame of Galactica.”

Derrick approached, seeing the conflicted look on Courtney’s face. “What’s up?”

“Oh, um. I…” Courtney looked up at Derrick and handed her the phone.

Derrick scanned through the pictures and laughed. “Why do you look so stressed? This shit is free publicity.”

Courtney’s heart beat faster. “What…you don’t think B thinks I’m with her for…this, do you?”

“Nahhh, she knows you’re with her for the money,” Derrick grinned. Off Courtney’s distressed look, she put an arm around her shoulders. “I’m kidding! Relax, B’s not that paranoid. She’s been dealing with this shit for years. She probably doesn’t even think about it.”

“How do they…there are pictures from INSIDE restaurants and stuff.”

Derrick rolled her eyes. “Yep. Waiters, other patrons. The second you leave your apartment, you’re fair game. Click on that last one, I’m dying to know what your friend’s ‘favorite’ is.”

Courtney clicked the link and pulled up a video. It was from rehearsal just that morning. She danced to her new recording of “Baby One More Time,” Derrick’s voice shouting in the background. A few other dancers milled about, packing up from the previous class. It was clear that one of them was filming. When the routine was over, Derrick high-fived Courtney. The caption said, “Courtney being groomed to be our next pop diva. And shocking tea: it sounds like she may even be able to sing. Quelle surprise!”

“Nice! Good thing they didn’t post the one where you tripped,” Derrick laughed.

“Do you…do you really think I shouldn’t worry about all this?” Courtney asked.

Derrick smiled at her, “Baby, people pay big bucks for that kind of advertising. Plus, you’re hot and you’re killing it. Trust me, it’s fucking gold.”

Courtney glanced down at her phone again. “Well, this explains all my new Instagram followers,” she said, giggling a little. “So I guess…I guess I better tell my parents that I’m dating a woman.” She smiled sheepishly.

Derrick laughed again. “Yeah, that’d probably be good.”

***

Trixie had to pee so badly he was almost jumping from one leg to another, his entire body jittering with the urge to let go, but he knew he couldn’t, not yet, no matter how desperate he was.

Trixie had known it was coming the moment Katya had handed him a 34 ounce slurpee, his fiancees 8 ounce milkshake a joke next to it. Katya had insisted that she had needed a pick-me-up the moment she got released from the hospital, and Trixie had never been able to deny her anything.

“Stop fidgeting.”

“I’m sorry.” Trixie whispered as he twisted in agony. They were in the elevator, almost home, almost at the top floor, and Trixie wanted to cry, his body an uncomfortable mixture of ice cold pain and red hot pleasure. He knew Katya was flexing her muscles, using her control over him to make sense of her own chaos, but he felt like was going to explode. He opened the door to the apartment, his hands fumbling with the key, a breath of relief leaving him when he realised that they, for once, were home alone.

“Go turn on the shower, I smell like the supply closet from the hospital.”

Trixie whimpered, knowing that the sound of the shower would be torture. “But-”

“I said now.”

Trixie nodded, quickly scrambling off to do as Katya said, turning the water to the exact temperature he knew she liked, undressing himself for good measure. Katya came into the bathroom, a smile on her face when she saw that Trixie was naked, the sight of his body lighting a sparkle in her eyes that Trixie realised had been missing, no matter how many times she had told him she was okay. Trixie’s skin was prickling as he could feel Katya watching him, her alert blue eyes watching his body, his soft stomach, the perky tits that were almost a handful each, his tender thighs and the love handles, his hip still carrying a proud mark from Katya’s nails since he had fucked her the other day, her hand guiding him at the exact speed she liked, her voice telling him where, when and how deep he was allowed to trust, the pleasure sending Trixie off with a desperate gasp as he had gone crossed-eyes.

Katya was undressing, a few simple tucks at her clothes left her naked as well, and she held out her hand, allowing Trixie to take her into the shower, the man knowing what he was expected to do before it even began. They kissed under the water, every drop making Katya’s hair wetter, her makeup smudging, her lipstick ending up on Trixie’s face, but none of it mattered when he got to rut against her stomach, tears nearly escaping him, his toes curled helplessly together as he tried to hold back, tried to be a good boy for Katya. Katya grabbed his cock, the contact making him whimper. Her grip was firm, her hold merciless as she directed him where she wanted him to be, her teeth nibbling his lip, drinking in every sound from him and Trixie knew that Katya would always take care of him, that she would always be there, just as he was there for her.

“Turn off the water.”

Trixie nodded, his skin electricity with what he knew was coming, a broken moan leaving him as he was finally, finally, finally allowed to let go, his eyes closed, his body humming as he emptied his bladder on his fiancees naked body, Katya controlling everything as he marked her legs, her tits, her arms and her belly, marked her as his and showed how they belonged together, the two of them against the world.

***

Sutan was lying in bed, unable to sleep, Violet tucked into his arms while his mind raced a thousand miles a minute.

He hadn’t been able to get it up, or maybe rather, keep it up.

It wasn’t the first time it had happened to him, wasn’t even in his personal top twenties of bad timing he had experienced, but this was the first time it had happened with Violet. Sutan sighed. He had been able to play it cool, not alerting Violet to how surprised he had been himself, how shocked he had felt.

Sutan had had his share of his cock playing pranks on him, almost ten years with a daily cocktail of cocaine, weed, ecstasy, smoking and alcohol not a good mix but for once he was absolutely sure that what had happened to him wasn’t a physical reaction, but a mental one instead. He and Violet had been in the living room, the tv playing a rerun of a reality show. Violet had been fumbling with his belt buckle, her long and slender fingers clumsy with lust, the feeling of her breasts against his chest filling him with love and desire. Sutan had been just about to flip them over, sure that Violet was hot and ready when he noticed the necklace she was wearing. It was the one Raven had given her, a gold chain with what Sutan had learned was an amethyst from Violet’s excited rambling, the girl eargerly talking about the positive qualities of the stone.

Sutan had felt the taste in his mouth go sour, Karl’s words echoing in his head. He couldn’t help but notice every little thing about Violet. How carefully her hair was arranged, the ends which showed that it was freshly cut, his girlfriend dutifully going to the salon every two months, her eyebrows artfully done, her lashes recently redone, the light pink of her nails, the smell of Chanel nr. 5 on her skin, the peek of her bra which Sutan immediately identified as La Perla, all of it making it feel cheap, all of it reminding him of the materialistic side of their world, Violet’s bracelet and her earrings which she took so painstakingly good care off, her clothes that cost more than what most waitresses made in a month, all coming together until he could think nothing more but golddigger, golddigger, golddigger over and over again.

Violet moved, and Sutan held his breath, convinced his spiraling thoughts had woken her up, but she was thankfully still in deep sleep. He looked at her, his heart aching because even though part of him knew he had to beware, knew that Karl could so easily be right, an even bigger part of him couldn’t imagine being without Violet, the girl in his arms in so many ways the unexpected center of his universe. Sutan kissed Violet’s head, the smell of her lavender shampoo filling his nose as he closed his eyes, focusing on nothing but the sound of her breaths, in and out, in and out, until he fell into a restless sleep, doubt still nagging at the back of his mind.

 

***

“Hey girls!” greeted Naima, a big smile on her face, as she saw Raven and Violet walk up to their booth at Santina’s Italian Restaurant in Lower Manhattan. It was an official pamper day for what the girls among themself called the elite 6 and Raven had invited Violet out with them at Allison’s request so the other girls could get to know Violet better.

“Hey boo”, Raven replied as she slid in the booth beside Celia, giving the blonde model a bright smile, greeting everyone as she poured herself a glass of wine.

“Hey…” Violet smiled, her voice a little low. “Thank you for inviting me.” Violet said as she slid in beside Raven. “I’m very grateful.”

“Oh, it’s no problem!” replied Allison. “It’s only fair since Raven knows you so well already! We want to get to know you too!”

“That, and Raven tells us about the shopping trips you have, and how much fun you both have”, Fo added as she grabbed another cheddar bay biscuit from the basket in the middle of the table, gently picking it apart.

“Yeah, I know that shopping isn’t everyone’s favorite pastime, but Violet is such a good sport and puts up with my magpie-esque shopping habits”, Raven said with a small laugh.

“Oh God”, Celia started, looking off into the distance dramatically, “I feel your pain, Violet, I remember when I went shopping with Raven for the first time”, she continued, addressing the younger woman. “We spent the entire day at Harrod’s in London trying to find the perfect red dress.”

“Did you ever find it?” Violet asked curiously, well aware how Raven shopped at this point.

“No, we didn’t”, Celia replied blandly. “But she found about 3 pairs of shoes, 4 pairs of leather pants, 4 new bags along with a cuff link and tie set for Sutan.”

“But no dress?” asked Jaslene with a smile as she sipped her glass of wine.

“We didn’t even get to dresses by the time we needed to leave”, Celia said with a sniff as she cut her eyes over to Raven, who was innocently sipping from her own glass of wine, looking in the opposite direction than her friend.

“That definitely sounds like some of the shopping trips I’ve been on with Raven”, Violet said with a small laugh as she thought about the many times she had been out with Raven herself.

Allison giggled at Raven’s pout. “Oh Rave, we still love you in spite of your shopping habits.”

***

“So, Violet”, started Jaslene as she settled into her seat and placed her feet in the warm water. The girls had left Santina’s and before Violet knew it, they were at Haus of Nails for mani/pedis. It wasn’t Violet usual place, but she could use a touch up anyway, and it seemed like the girls had it down to a science. “Tell us a little bit more about yourself.”

“Yeah, Rave has told us practically everything about you, but we want to hear about you from you”, Naima added as she tested out nail polish colors on her nails.

“I’m not sure that’d be very entertaining…” Violet furrowed her brows, wondering what she could tell them that wouldn’t make her sound dull or pretentious. “I work for Galactica in design…” The girls nodded, all of them knowing Galactica as ‘Raja’s company’. “But I started as Miss Fame’s personal assistant…“

“Oh, that sounds like a lot of fun, even though it’s a lot of work”, Jaslene said with a smile. “I remember my first job when I was still in Puerto Rico, which feels like forever ago.”

Celia perked up as she listened to Jaslene talk. “What did you do?” she asked. “I used to be a cashier at the local Dairy Queen in my small ass hometown.”

“It wasn’t much better than yours, Cece”, Jaslene said with a laugh before turning her head to look at Violet. “At least you two worked indoors, I used to work a snow cone cart on the beach and Boardwalk.”

“That doesn’t sound too bad, at least you got to see hot guys”, Allison quipped, as the young woman doing her pedicure started scrubbing her feet.

“Giiiiirl….it wasn’t as cracked up as it sounded”, Jaslene sighed. “I would have to be outside all day and pushing almost a 75lb cart and deal with the birds, lizards and bugs, let alone the tourists and the sun.”

“Well, at least you stayed tanned”, Raven added.

“Bitch I stayed burnt, not tanned, I was fucking burnt”, Jaslene said as she rolled her eyes.

***

After a fresh manicure and pedicure with the Amrull Girls, who Violet found to be much nicer than she anticipated, she felt a little more relaxed and mellow. It was however also entirely possible that her current mood could also be attested to the fact that she was fresh from a deep tissue massage, and was now lounging on a chaise lounge, wrapped in a warm and fluffy robe and slippers, sipping a flute of complementary champagne.

While they were at Haus of Nails, Violet discovered that the girls had what was apparently ritual days as often as their schedules allowed. For every place they went to, one of the girls had made a reservation and planned an activity. Naima was the restaurant junkie and almost never ate from the same place twice in a month, so she had gotten them the reservations for Santina’s. Celia had decided to treat everyone to a fresh manicure and pedicure, and now, it was Fo who had booked them for a few hours at the spa. Violet had gently begged off of most of the treatments everyone else got, not willing to risk fucking up her skin, her hair or her face in an unknown spa.

“Wow, your beauty routine is intense, Violet, it’s even crazier than Celia’s!” said Allison as she braided her hair into a bun. “I’m like, super simple with my routine since I have sensitive skin and I’m kinda forgetful, but you are like, super dedicated…”

“I’m sorry…. I used to be an assistant and old habits die hard”, Violet pulled a little of her hair behind her ear, embarrassed by Allison’s comment, feeling slightly trapped by the statement. She didn’t want to accidentally snitch on Fame and how crazy it had been to be in her front office, but she didn’t want to lie either, not when the girls were all so welcoming and kind to her. Violet smiled, deciding she’s try to make it into a joke. “Nothing but perfection as we said. I know it’s silly since I just work for a fashion company and not in the beauty industry like you guys, I’m sorry”, Violet said softly as she started to pick at the edge of her bathrobe tie. She could feel the words bubbling out of her, like she was helpless to stop them, like she always was when she started talking and she felt beyond stupid. “I know I could have stopped with my transfer to design, but Sutan gets to look at girls as beautiful as you every day, so I want to look nice whenever I see him…“

The girls ‘awwed’ at Violet’s admission, and Violet was taken aback by surprise. Who would have known they would react like that?

“Awww, don’t worry, mami”, started Joslene as she looked across the table at Violet with a soft smile. “Some models are actually fucking ugly without makeup”, she said with a laugh from the other models. “When I see Sutan at his office in Elite, and I know I can’t speak for the other girls, but I just have a super basic lightweight face, liner, lashes and lipgloss.”

“If that much”, Raven said with a snort as she ran her fingers through her long hair.

“Yeah, we’re really only like ‘super pretty’ when we’re in hair and makeup”, added Naima with a nod. “And that’s usually just on set or the runway.”

Celia tossed a grape in Fo’s direction as she attempted, and succeeded, in catching them in her mouth. “Violet, you are most likely the prettiest woman he’s seen all day, and he really cares for you.”

“He ain’t going nowhere”, interjected Jaslene, as Raven began to twist her long wavy hair up for her.

“Thanks”, Violet said shyly as she felt the blossoming feeling of confidence bloom in her chest at the models’ words of encouragement, trying to push down what had happened between her and Sutan the other night. The models were right, they had to be, because he loved her. Right?

***

Raven was toeing the line of frantic, not to say she was stressed, but she was quite frazzled. Raven was someone who prided herself on giving awesome gifts to the people she loved, so she liked to pre-shop for a gift before the date, but this once the perfect gift she was on the hunt for could not be found. Raven had an idea of what she wanted to get her future wife Raja and her future brother-in-law Sutan, but it was still very hard to shop for people who had everything.

“If you don’t think I’m not every part as lost as you are, you’re wrong….”

“Damnit!!” Jaslene said with a stomp of her boot. “You would think that with how long we’ve known him, getting presents for him would be easier”, she said with a sigh as she put a leather motorcycle jacket back on the rack. Raven had taken them on her favorite pastime, luxury shopping with Raja’s personal Black Card. They went from Rick Owens to Chanel, to Alexander McQueen and now the Russian model’s new favorite brand, Balmain.

“Maybe we should just all pitch in and get him like… A Batman costume, or a statue or something”, suggested Fo as she held a denim miniskirt to her hips. “What do you think about this, Rave?”

“Cute, pair it with your new Aquazzura Milla sandals and you little Bardot ruffle top you got last year in Dubai and you’ll be golden”, Raven said offhandedly as she took a quick glance at the skirt her friend held up, while she was trying to find a pair of heels in Raja’s size.

“A Batman suit? Oh no, oh no no no no, please don’t”, begged Violet as she sat on a black satin loveseat with Naima who was looking through the Balmain catalog Raven’s sales associate Ornacia brought to them to look through. “He’d never take it off, and I practically live with him, please don’t.”

”… What?!“ said Allison who looked up from the rack of satin mini dresses she was flipping through. "You’re the first woman he’s like, you know, lived with since Raja.”

“Let’s not forget Carmen for a few months and then there was Raven”, added Celia who took a selfie with Jaslene.

“You lived with him, Raven?” asked Violet, surprised at the news.

“Oh yeah….that was ages ago, back before Raja and I got our own place and shit like that”, Raven replied as she got up from her seat and zeroed in on a pair of beige ruffle pants hanging on a rack. “That was an interesting time.”

“Girl, don’t we know it”, Jaslene said with a smile. “Who would have thought, the new girl would dethrone the reigning queen. You should have seen how Raven took Carmen down, it was the showdown of the century.”

“Well I told her I would, but everyone thought I was crazy”, Raven said as she pulled the pants off the rack and grabbed a matching tank top. “But look who’s laughing now!” she finished with a face-splitting grin.

****

“So do you have your bachelorette party planned?” asked Naima as she leaned over the table to grab a marinated olive. After they left the Balmain store after Raven said her brain was tapped of ideas, Jaslene decided to treat them to tapas and wine for an early dinner before they parted ways to their respective parts of the city to go home. “I need to make sure my schedule remains clear, I don’t need Sutan booking me at all that week and a half before and after your wedding.”

“Yes!” exclaimed Fo who was on Pinterest with Raven, looking at how to make homemade Alfredo sauce. “I need to make sure Anthony doesn’t have to work that weekend.”

“Do you guys have a ride?” asked Jaslene as she looked up from the tapas menu.

“Oh yeah, Anthony is going to rent a truck and we’re going to drive there from his parents house in Poughkeepsie”, Fo replied as she swirled the fishbowl margarita she was sharing with Raven. “Do you need us to bring anything? Like ice or whatever?”

The pieces slot into place in Violet’s mind. “Excuse me, are you the Greenport wedding?” she asked. She had been hearing about the wedding around the fashion world, and it was supposed to be /the/ wedding of the season. “Sutan only told me the date, and how he needed to make sure the entire weekend was blocked off.”

Jaslene perked up at the mentioning of her wedding location. “Oh yes! That’s me!”

“Jaslene managed to snag herself a baseball player”, Raven goaded playfully, causing Jaslene to hide her face. “Soon to be Mrs. Aroldis Chapman in her white gown as the blushing and bashful bride.”

“Aye dios mio, Rave!” exclaimed Jaslene with a smile. “You’re coming, right?” she asked Violet. “It’s going to be absolutely magical”, she said excitedly.

“If you’ll have me, I’d be honored to attend”, Violet said with a smile that caused Jaslene to positively glow.

“I wouldn’t have it any other way”, Jaslene said brightly before her phone started to ring. “Lemme get this”, she said as she got up from the table they were sitting around at Madame Caliente’s Tapas Bar. “It’s my wedding planner”, she said before answering the phone.

“I’m so happy you are going to come, Violet”, said Celia as she wrote what she wanted down on a napkin and handed it to Fo, who was going to place the orders at the bar. “Jaslene has spent so much time and effort trying to find a location that can do the ceremony and reception, and still have room for people to mingle and for it not be irritatingly hot.”

“Yes she has”, Raven said as she took a sip of her shared drink, “so much so that as my gift to her, I got her the wedding planner Raja and I are going to use, so she wouldn’t have to stress as much.”

“Ain’t nobody got time for wrinkles and stress pimples”, Naima added with a nod.

“That’s totally understandable”, Violet replied. “How many people is she expecting?”

“I’m not sure”, started Allison. “The last time I heard, it was like 215 or so. She comes from a big family, he comes from a big family. Then you have friends and business associates and people like that and maybe some media, but I’m not entirely sure.”

“Yeah, she was telling me it was gonna be huge”, Raven said after she wrote down her order and gave it to Fo. “I just hope there won’t be any gate crashers like what happened at Coco Montrese’s wedding in Miami.”

“That wasn’t a gate crasher”, said Celia, “that was Nicole Paige Brooks.”

Naima threw her head back and laughed, “The shaaaaade!!”

Raven looked around. “Whaaat?!” she whined. “I’m not being shady this time! I thought it was a gate crasher because they kept on yelling 'I know you want the pah!’ So I assumed it was a crazy person trying to get into the party”, she said, her impression of Nicole’s voice spot on, causing the other women at the table to laugh even harder.

“That’s shady and you know it, Raven!” Celia squealed as she hid her pink in face behind her napkin.

***

“I’m back”, greeted Jaslene dully as she sat back down at the table.

“Hey baby, what’s wrong?” Raven asked as she put her arm around the taller woman’s shoulders.

“My wedding planner called me to tell me that the lady who was going to make my veil broke her hand and now can’t hand embroider until like… late June!” Jaslene said on the verge of tears as Raven wrapped her arm tighter around her shoulders for comfort.

“But isn’t your wedding in June?” asked Naima.

Jaslene hastily wiped away the tears that were threatening to fall down her face, “Yes it is!” And I needed her to do the veil because it will match my dress perfectly. The dress is custom and I wanted a veil that would go with it and it’s all just falling apart!“ she wailed, causing people to look to their table, which caused Celia to look and glare.

“Oh no, hunny, I’m so sorry to hear that”, Allison said as she took the crying model’s thin hand in her own, squeezing it gently. “We will figure it out and make it work.”

“I can make it for you if you want”, Violet said softly as she looked down at her hands that were busy shredding a napkin.

Jaslene brought her head up to look at Violet who was seated across from her. “Would you really do that for me?” she asked with tears welled up in her chocolate brown eyes.

“If you want me to help, I would be delighted,” Violet said sweetly, taking pity on the older girl who looked absolutely devastated from her phone call.

“Violet, if you could do that for me, I would be forever grateful and appreciative”, Jaslene said with a watery smile.

“It’s not a problem,” she said brightly as Jaslene returned her smile. Violet could feel everyone looking at her, so she quickly changed the subject. “Now that we have one crisis averted, let’s talk about your wedding. Tell me everything!”

“Oh Violet, it’s going to be an absolute dream of tropical colors, flowers and white; with my bridesmaids in aqua dresses and the groomsmen in like a stone/khaki color suit with aqua accents”, Jaslene said in a daze as if she forgot that only a few moments ago she was almost in hysterics. “I didn’t want to go super over the top because hubby is more traditional, so I wanted to keep it pretty but tropical as a nod to the islands where our families are from.”

“It sounds like you have everything planned out perfectly”, Violet said kindly.

“Thank you”, Jaslene said dreamily. “It’s gonna be so lush and tropical. Compared to Raven’s Russian luxe extravaganza”, she continued as she sipped from her glass of wine, moving the olives out the way to make room for the food and a pitcher of sangria.

“Oh yes! Raven is getting married at the end of the year as well”, said Fo excitedly. “So many weddings this year.”

“Yeah girl, have you even started planning?” Jaslene asked as she turned her head to look at the Russian model sitting beside her. “Because I know you, Raven; you will have the whole thing planned and paid for, but then want to change your flowers so they can match your eyes better”, she said as she looked pointedly at her, as Raven grabbed an oyster on the half shell.

“See, I was talking to Raja about that last night as she was brushing and braiding up my hair”, Raven started after eating the oyster. “And I was like 'I wanna go like full Russian but that may be a little much you know,’ because this is Our wedding and not just mine”, She continued before she drank more from the fishbowl, emptying it, then adding sangria to it. “But Rajie was like 'if having a full Russian-themed wedding makes you happy then do it, just make sure there’s an open bar, beef rendang and gold and then I don’t care.’ So I need to plan some more since I can just live the princess fantasy.”

“I’m excited for your wedding, Ravey”, said Jaslene.

“Yeah, but I’m so ready for yours”, Raven replied with a smile. “Kontokosta Winery will be the most perfect location for your wedding.”

“I’m ready for this entire love fest to be over so I can go back to being a beautiful and bitter blonde”, Celia said with a sigh as she looked at her two best friends who were looking at her.

“Aww Cece, it’s okay”, Naima started as she looked across the table to her friend, “you don’t have to wait until after the weddings to be a beautiful, blonde, bitter, bitch”, she said sweetly. “You can start now.”

Naima’s statement caused all the women to laugh at Celia’s pout “You’re as bad as Raven is”, Celia mumbled as she broke a piece of her crostini in half so she could put a little bit of caviar in between the two pieces. “Don’t mind her, Violet, she’s a terrible influence”, she said with a wink at Violet.

“At least I’m not trying to tell you to do some crazy shit”, Naima replied.

“Like jump out a moving vehicle”, added Allison.

“Or wear a pair of new Louboutins to a premier without breaking them in”, Jaslene supplied with a hum of agreement from Violet who took a sip of her wine.

“Or flirt with your significant other to see if they’ll cheat with you”, finished Raven. “All tea, all shade.”

“Cheers to that”, said Jaslene.

 

***

Juju cranked an eye open, confused by what had woken her up. Juju felt around the bed, and a rush of panic went through her when she couldn’t find Grace’s little body and her tiny heartbeat in the darkness of the bedroom. They had co-slept with the twins, so it was only natural that they had done the same with Grace. Juju tried to sit up, but she was so tired. Grace had been suffering from colic, the little girl screaming and screaming and screaming. It had finally calmed down last week, but Juju was still recovering from staying up most nights with Grace. Julia and Owen had been scared, not understanding why their sister was crying, while Kelly had just seemed annoyed at her baby sister for having what she called tantrums, but Kelly had still stepped up a few times, taking her sister from her mother so Juju could shower, take care of the twins or simply eat. Juju heard a sound and realised what it was: someone was singing in a low, husky voice.

“And if that mockingbird won’t sing, daddy’s gonna buy you a diamond ring, and if that diamond ring turns brass, daddy’s gonna buy you a looking glass.”

Detox was singing to Grace. Juju sat up, and the sight that met her almost made her cry. Detox was walking around the bedroom, Grace nuzzled into his neck, his hand running up and down the child’s back.

“And if that looking glass gets broke, daddy’s gonna buy you a billy goat, and if that billy goat won’t pull, daddy’s gonna buy you… something from the store because he doesn’t remember any more of this song but you’re asleep so it doesn’t matter.”

Juju smiled, her heart aching with love, but she couldn’t help but poke at least a little fun of her husband. “Are you sure you want to teach her already that you’ll buy her whatever she wants?”

“Isn’t it the truth?” Detox came over to the bed, the two of them exchanging quick, closed-mouthed kisses, their relationship way past the point where morning or night breath was cute.

“What if she wants to be a rocket scientist or an olympic athlete?”

“Or own a fast food chain that only serves chicken to make her mommy happy.” Detox got underneath the blankets, gently passing Grace to Juju so the baby could curl up on her mommy’s chest for a few moments of comfort before Juju put Grace down on her back, making sure that nothing was near the girl that could endanger her.

“I’m just saying it’s too early to install patriarchal values in her.”

“You’re acting like I’m not actually going to buy her everything she needs regardless.”

Juju chuckled, settling into Detox’s arms, the two adults spooning together.

“My big, strong, feminist husband.”

“Ha ha, go to sleep.”

“Goodnight, I love you.”

“I love you too.”

***  
Courtney strode through the Marie Claire offices, wearing her faux fur coat and thigh-high stiletto boots, hair piled high on her head. At Bianca’s office, Joslyn smiled and waved her in.  
She pulled the door shut behind her. “Hey.”

Bianca looked up from her computer, breaking into a big smile, dimples deep in her cheeks. “Hiii gorgeous! What a nice surprise. What brings you here?”

Courtney strode forward, glossy red lips pursed, and leaned back against Bianca’s desk.

“Well,” she started, twirling a loose curl around her fingers. “Everyone seems to think I’m a sugar baby, so I thought…” She placed a foot on Bianca’s chair and shrugged, a mischievous glint in her eye. “I may as well be a good one.”

Bianca watched her, breathing heavily as she began to unbutton her coat from the bottom, revealing bare thighs above the tall boots. Bianca whimpered and reached forward, but Courtney pushed her hands away gently.

“I’m sorry B, I know you have to work. So maybe it’s better if we don’t do anything. You should work. I’ll just keep you company.” Courtney smiled sweetly, sitting back and crossing her legs, letting them dangle off the side of the desk.

Bianca stared at her, lips parted.

“Like my outfit?” Courtney teased. “I know this is the place to come for fashion advice.” She bit her lip and popped open a few more buttons.

Narrowing her eyes, Bianca scoffed. “Oh, you wanna play games?”

“What do you mean?” Courtney batted her lashes innocently.

“No, it’s fine. I can play too.” Bianca got up and walked to the door, opening it. “Hey Jos, can you please get me a cup of coffee, and…what do you want, honey? Coconut water?”

Courtney nodded. “The pink kind.”

“And that Harmless coconut water for Court.”

“Sure thing!” Joslyn chirped. “Also, Dan wanted to bring those new layouts by when you have a minute.”

“Now’s fine,” Bianca said, tossing a look to Courtney, sprawled on the desk.

“Uhhh…okay…I’ll let him know,” Joslyn picked up her phone uncertainly as Bianca walked back to her desk.

Courtney watched her work, head tilted, fingering the remaining buttons. Bianca pretended not to watch out of the corner of her eye, responding to emails nonchalantly. When Joslyn came in with their drinks, Courtney accepted the glass of pink liquid gratefully. She used her tongue to toy with the straw, one hand stroking her inner thigh. Bianca turned towards her, eyes smoldering, watching her, leaning back in her chair. Courtney shifted, licking her lips, and started to roll her hips against the desk.

When Dan walked in with a bunch of layout boards, Bianca jumped up, relieved for the distraction. She wasn’t prepared to let Courtney win this one.

“B, I have the…uh…hi, Courtney,” Dan said, grinning and raising his eyebrows slightly.   
“Nice boots.”

“Thanks.” Courtney was pulling her coat closed, covering her thighs, pink creeping into her cheeks, heart racing.

Bianca checked over the boards with Dan, giving him a few notes. She walked him to the door and then turned back to Courtney, who squirmed uncomfortably on her desk, cheeks flushed a deep red. “How ya doin, cupcake?”

Courtney looked at her, biting her lip. “Lock the door,” she whispered.

Bianca complied and then walked back over to her, smirking, sliding her hands up her legs as Courtney opened the last few buttons and brushed their lips together. Bianca pulled the coat off of her shoulders, hands caressing her skin, and muttered, “Amateur. I thought you were gonna tease me all day.”

Gripping her blouse at the shoulders, Courtney pulled her closer and pressed their lips together, arching against her. “Mmmm…”

Bianca groaned and buried her face in Courtney’s neck. “This means I win, you know.” She inhaled her sweet scent, hands wandering all over, caressing her skin, unable to get enough of her.

“I don’t care about winning. I already…” Courtney closed her eyes, enjoying Bianca’s plush lips traveling down her body, hands now on her hips while she twirled her tongue around each nipple. “I…already…won.” Courtney moaned as she began to suck harder, tightening her legs around her waist. “Ohhh, god…”

Bianca lifted her from the desk and carried her to a plush armchair, laying her down and then kneeling in front of her. She pushed her legs open, letting them drape over the arms of the chair. Courtney reached for her, pulling her in, sucking on her bottom lip.

Trailing her fingers lightly up Courtney’s thighs, Bianca massaged their tongues together, brushing the back of her hand against her clit, feeling how wet she was.

Trembling, Courtney let out a whimper, fingers laced through Bianca’s hair, arching against her hand. She pulled her head up to look into Bianca’s eyes while she rubbed against her.

Bianca brought her fingers up, touching Courtney’s lips and then sucking the salty sweetness off her mouth.

Courtney moaned brokenly, nails raking her back, trying to shove her down by the shoulders.   
“Please B, please,” she begged.

Bianca kissed her neck, down her collarbone, thumbs rubbing her nipples as her mouth moved lower and lower. Courtney flung a leg over her shoulder and grasped her back of her hair, humping her face urgently. Bianca laughed, wrapping her arms around her thighs and forcing her back down into the chair.

A distressed whimper escaped Courtney’s lips as she leaned her head back, squeezing her eyes shut. She gasped sharply as Bianca’s lips found her again, sucking on her softly, tongue warm against her sensitive skin. She tried to breathe deeply, focusing all of her energy on the delicious sensation of Bianca’s velvety tongue.

Sparks raced through her, and she gripped the arms of the chair for dear life. Her body began to quake and spasm. She yanked on Bianca’s hair, pulling her French twist loose, grinding up against her mouth, too overcome to even make a sound.

Bianca lifted her head to watch her, rubbing her knuckles against her clit to help her through. She slid her other hand up her body to her lips, placing two fingers inside her mouth, letting her bite down hard on them as she sucked on first one nipple, then the other, relishing the way Courtney’s body responded to every touch, every kiss. She moved her mouth back down, now holding her ass and swirling her tongue around and around, feeling her shake and tremble, gasping for air.

Courtney collapsed backwards against the chair again, shuddering with pleasure. Bianca continued to lick her clean, causing a deep guttural moan, followed by soft whimpers as she gasped for breath. She kissed her all over - hips, thighs, abdomen. Courtney’s fists opened and closed in her thick, glossy hair. Bianca laid a head in her lap, wrapping her arms around her waist. After a minute, Courtney managed to choke out, “Jesus…Fucking…Christ.”

Bianca laughed softly and looked up. “I don’t think he had anything to do with that one.”

Courtney smiled sleepily, curling into a ball and coaxing Bianca into the chair with her, pulling her arms around her. Bianca spooned her, letting her lips rest gently on her neck, matching her deep breathing, savoring the precious few moments of afterglow before she had to rejoin the world of deadlines and advertisers and fashion emergencies.

***

The kitchen was a mess before Shane started on it. He hadn’t meant for it to get this bad, but sometimes life happened and right now he was drowning in it. There were enough dirty dishes to fill the dishwasher twice, and the kitchen table was cluttered with things that didn’t belong in the kitchen, like Betty’s laptop, Betty’s bottle of perfume, Betty’s silk yellow shirt, Betty’s… Okay, he noticed the pattern.

Shane cleaned up, trying hard to get everything in order, unable to rest until everything was just right, spontaneously deciding the floor really needed to be vacuumed as well. He admired the results of his work until Betty walked out of the bedroom, a standard look of annoyance on her face, her hair all tousled up from sleep.

“What’s going on? It’s 7:30 on a Saturday, since when are you a morning person?”

“Oh, hey, morning, did I wake you up? Sorry. I promised to help Violet cook lunch today, remember?”

“It’s today? Ugh.” Betty let Shane give her a morning kiss, looking down at the apron he was wearing, the one that said /World’s okayest cook/.

“Yes, she’s supposed to come over before eight, I figured some preparations were in order, you know what I mean?”

“Well, I better prepare myself then.” Betty rolled her eyes. “I bet Little Miss Perfect will show up looking flawless as always, and I’m not here for that, not in the slightest.”

“You always look flawless to me!”, said Shane, making Betty roll her eyes again, but she smiled anyway before she left for the bathroom. “I’ll wipe the counter and the table while you’re gone, but you’re helping me with the dishes!” Shane tried not to lose his energetic spirit. There was so much left to do.

Violet arrived precisely at 8, before Betty even left the bathroom, and set two large shopping bags on the kitchen table, Frida running after her, jumping excitedly upon seeing Shane. “I think I got all the stuff you asked me for. Pasta, milk, peas, cheese, carrots, onions, wine, and some fair trade chocolate, just to thank you! Although I gave Frida one of the carrots on our way there, do you think we’ll still have enough?” Violet asked Shane and he quickly assured her not to worry. The small pug just noticed a new presence in the room, Betty standing in the doorway, and run her way wagging its tiny tail. “Oh, Betty, hi! I’m so sorry, I’ll grab her right away.”

“It’s okay”, replied Betty, bending down to pet the pug before Violet managed to intercept her. Dogs still weren’t Betty’s favorite animals, far from it, so Shane was quite impressed when she decided to pet Frida, the dog instantly calming down at the touch, and he couldn’t help himself before he made an excited “Aww!” sound. Violet stopped halfway, looking at the scene.

“Don’t let me bother you guys, what are you cooking?”

“Well, Shane promised to teach me to make this Italian pasta dish and sautéed carrots, but I looked through some recipes and I didn’t shop for it, but I’d really like to learn how to make chocolate brownies. I know the project isn’t one for today but I really want to learn how to make them so I can shove them in Sutan’s face and make him taste sweet revenge.” Violet smiled. “He likes caramel and walnut.”

“Wait, isn’t revenge supposed to be sweet for the one that gets it?” asked Shane, fetching another apron and handing it to Violet.

“…I think you’re right.”

“Anyway, don’t let it worry you, girl! Put the apron on and let’s get to cooking!”

Violet unfolded the apron and frowned. “Shane, this is not funny.”

“Oh, come on, get in the spirit, Vi!”

Betty and Shane looked at each other and both burst out laughing when Violet tied a cute, white apron around her waist, the letters on her chest saying /I have no idea what I’m doing/.

“Very funny, guys”, mumbled Violet. “Those brownies better be amazing.”

***

“So you never learned how to cook?”

“No… Not really… My mom was pretty young when she had me, so it was never really something, you know, something she bothered to focus on… I was pretty much a lunchmeat and mac and cheese child”, Violet smiled gently. “I moved away from home when I was 13, and it was never really a priority since then…”

“Oh, I see. Well, you’re 23, right? It’s not like it’s too late to learn! It’s never too late!”

Something was starting to smell really nicely, Violet and Shane by the stove, mixing and stirring and chopping things, or rather Shane tilting his head as he observed Violet, the girl asking about every single thing like how to hold a knife properly. Presently though Shane was distracted by Frida, the dog in his arms as he was bouncing it up and down like a little baby.

“I’m sorry, I don’t think I’m chopping this onion right”, Violet said, the knife in her hand a danger to humanity.

“Who’s the best dog in the world? You are, yes you are yes you are! Does Frida want a carrot?”

“Shane?”

“Huh?”

“The food?”

“Oh, right, shit. Back to you right now!” Shane gently put Frida back on the ground, the puppy curiously looking around, sniffing different corners.

“Actually, before I forget, can you maybe teach me how to cook rice too? Or, I was looking for ways to feed Frida and it seems like a home-cooked diet is the best way to go. Pugs have a tendency to become overweight and I’d hate for that to happen to Frida.”

“Cook rice? Sure, girl, but…anything specific? What kind of rice? Like a dish of rice? What?”

Shane was confused, throwing Violet into a spiral of confusion as well, Betty immensely enjoying the show. This was much better than daytime television. Frida has lied down on the pillow Violet had placed by the table and curled into a little ball. Betty has opened her sketchbook to an empty page, deciding to try to imitate the color of Frida’s fur on paper.

“Just plain rice? I think? Don’t laugh at me.” Too late, Betty was already doubling over, wiping tears from her eyes as she saw Shane trying to hold the laughter in. “I’ve just read that rice is good for dogs…”

“So you want me to teach you how to put rice in boiling water, wait 15 minutes and then drain it? Am I getting this right?”

“When you say it like that, it sounds stupid.”

“Let’s deal with the pasta first, okay? Just put it in the pot and turn the stove on. Beneath the pot. This one. Amazing.”

“Like this? That’s it?”

“Oh my God, Violet, what the fuck? Do you want to burn our house down?! What about water? You didn’t pour the water in! Turn it off right now!”

“You never said anything about water, Shane!”

“I’m sorry, but it’s basic science!”

“Maybe for you”, muttered Violet angrily, filling the pot with water. Betty was howling with laughter, scaring Frida who raised her head, alert. “And you can fuck right off, Bets, you’re not helping anyway.”

“Oh no, no no no, no way. I’ve got my coffee and I’m watching this shit show all the way to the end, so I’m not going anywhere.”

“I think we’ll be taking a break anyway, since the pasta needs to cook.” Shane wiped his forehead, sending Betty the shortest look that silently spoke /this is more tiring than I expected/. “Can we get a drink? I think I need a drink. Do we have any beer?”

“It’s 10 in the morning, don’t you think it’s too soon to start drinking?”

“No.” Shane grabbed a beer from the fridge, sighing with relief as he took the first swig, walking to the living room to rest in the armchair, both girls following him, Violet carrying Frida.

“That’s - an interesting statue.” Violet immediately noticed the newest addition to the living room. Betty wrapped a different scarf around Poseidon’s neck every morning, a passive-aggressive way of communicating Shane that she still remembered about its unwanted presence. “Any reason it’s orange?”

“I told you it was ugly as fuck, Shane.” Betty smiled victoriously at Violet’s agreement.

“It’s not ugly, Elizabeth, it’s unique! Thank you for asking, Violet, it’s a statue of Poseidon that I got at flea market in Williamsburg for 10 bucks. A real bargain if you ask me!”

“I will pay you five times that if you somehow make Frida knock it over”, Betty whispered into Violet’s ear, the younger girl giggling. They both knew the tiny pug stood no chance against marble, but Betty could still hope. The girls sat down on the couch together, Frida in Violet’s lap, Betty cracking her sketchbook open again. She had already drawn the dog, the color of the fur looking almost identical, and then sketched a silhouette in a clean-cut scarlet coat, its shade perfectly complimenting the pug’s fur, the woman holding the dog on a leash.

“Is that your sketchbook?” Violet leaned in to peek. “Oh my God, Betty, can I see? Did you draw Frida? Please?”

“I did - it’s just a sketch. I really liked the color of her fur, and then the rest happened.”

“Can I have it? Oh, shit, sorry I mean… It’s just… If you have to use it for something, I’m sorry, but if not, I’d just… It’s a really good drawing… I love your ready-to-wear.” Violet smiled brightly, obviously incredibly excited by Betty’s drawing.

“Thanks… And yeah, of course you can have it. There.” Betty ripped a page out of the sketchbook, handing it to Violet with a smile. She could draw the coat again some other time.

“Wow, Betty, it’s - thank you. Thanks so much. Oh, can I see more of your sketches?”

They kept flipping through Betty’s sketchbook, the discussion of fashion knocking all sense of time out of them, so Betty actually startled when she heard Shane’s voice, having forgotten he was in the room.

“Hey ladies, is anybody keeping track of time? We have pasta on the stove.”

“Oh shit!” Violet jumped up, running to the kitchen almost losing her shoes in a panic. “Oh no, Shane! Come here! It’s a disaster!”

“I don’t think I can do this anymore”, dead-panned Shane quietly to Betty, not eager to join Violet in the kitchen.

“You’re my hero, you can and you will. Now go save the pasta, I believe in you.”

 

***

Sutan sat by the table with a fake smile plastered to his face, a fork in his hand as he tasted Violet’s dish. Shane tried everything he could to save the day, but when pasta was fucked, it was fucked, overcooked to hell and they didn’t have time to redo it before Sutan arrived, the man coming into their apartment with a bottle of wine and some dessert. Shane didn’t know what was going on, but the air between Violet and Sutan was weird, like, really uncomfortably mega weird.

Violet almost had tears in her eyes, her boyfriend’s presence not calming her down as it always did, but riling her up instead. Shane would have no idea how upset she was about the whole thing if he hadn’t known her for so long, her expression perfectly relaxed like it always was, but he could see it in her eyes and the way that she bit her lip that she was anything but okay.

Sutan had given Violet a brief kiss, not lingering like he usually did, not sharing Violet’s obvious joy over Betty’s drawing, though he had picked the small pug up when Frida came running, happy to see her dad.

Shane tried to mentally communicate to Violet that it was all okay, maybe they ruined the pasta, but the vegetables were amazing and the amount of seasoning was /just/ perfect. Nothing helped though, Violet sitting with her back straight like a tightly pulled violin string, the girl’s mind in a bad place Shane knew almost too well.

And then there was Sutan. “It’s - it’s definitely an interesting take on pasta.” He chewed another mouthful with a grave expression. Normally, his hand would already be on top of Violet’s, he’d be kissing her cheek and laughing about it, but not today. Today, everything he did was automatic, like a badly-oiled robot trying to go through the motions.

“You don’t have to sugarcoat it”, said Violet, her voice defeated though she put on a smile, trying to lighten the mood.

“I’m not, I promise. You’re still learning and I can see that you tried, but it is… Interesting…”

“I’m sorry.” Violet’s smile stiffened. Shane reached out to pat her back in an attempt to console the girl since Sutan, for some reason, didn’t.

“Well, I definitely didn’t sign up for this funeral of everything that’s fun in life”, muttered Betty to Shane, standing up to open the fridge and bring over four bottles of beer, disregarding her own rule of no early drinking. Violet and Sutan, however, were not interested in beer, eating their meals in silence, the tension almost palpable, leaving Betty and Shane to drink alone.

***

“Bye guys, have a nice afternoon!”

As soon as Violet and Sutan left, saying their exceedingly kind thank yous and goodbyes, Shane leaned heavily against the door he just closed behind the couple and breathed out all the air he has been holding through the meal.

“Okay, but what the /fuck/ was that?” exploded Betty, standing up from the table and looking at Shane, his girlfriend apparently also noticing the strange air between the other couple. “Did you see it? Did you see how fucking weird they behaved?”

“Of course I saw it. Something is wrong, Betty, something is definitely wrong. Maybe they had a fight? Did Violet mention anything?” Shane started collecting the empty plates from the table and moving them to the dishwasher, Betty soon following him.

“Pff. Like Violet would ever ‘mention’ anything without me pulling her tongue for an hour. No way.”

“Well then, if she didn’t say, then it’s none of our business, right?”

“But Shane!” Betty stomped her feet, “I want to know!”

“If you really do, you can make it happen, kitty. By the way, you’re doing the dishes, remember?” Shane leaned in to give Betty a quick kiss to silence her protests and then move on to the living room, ready to spend the rest of the day in front of the tv, the stressful morning leaving him void of energy.

*

“No, Laila, please don’t do this to me.”

Laila stopped in the hallway where she was putting her shoes on and turned to Pearl, her girlfriend’s expression one of confusion and misery.

“Baby, please. We’ve been over this. Turbo hasn’t been feeling himself the last few days and the vet says to keep an eye on him at all times, alright? I’m sorry I have to go, and I can’t possibly take him to the bar with me. You’re my only hope.”

Laila was called in due to an “emergency” (Pearl wrecked her brain trying to imagine what could be considered an emergency at the bar and she didn’t come up with anything yet), begging Pearl to stay with Turbo overnight. Pearl tried to say no, she complained and whined, but Laila didn’t listen, quickly putting on clothes and giving Pearl a long, encouraging kiss. The little furry devil was curled up in the middle on the bed, sleeping soundly.

“What about Katya? Or Max? Maybe they could-”

“It makes no sense since you’re already here, right? You’ll do great. Give him the meds in two hours and if he cries, just make sure he can feel your warmth and that you’re close, alright? In case anything happens, vet’s number is on the fridge.”

“But-”

“I gotta run. Bye. I’ll make it worth your while, promise!”

Pearl enjoyed the moment of Laila slapping her ass before she left, leaving the blonde alone with the fur ball.

Pearl settled down on the floor by Laila’s bed with her laptop. Willam just sent her three articles, after deadline, obviously, so she needed to yell at him and edit the pieces. She was doing fine, almost forgetting about the presence of Turbo, until the cat started meowing: softly at first, then louder and louder, growing desperate.

“Shit.” Pearl and Turbo never made friends and Pearl still disliked having to peel her clothes of fur each time she left Laila’s apartment, but she didn’t want to fail her girlfriend, and she couldn’t keep working if the animal kept on making that noise. She extended her hand, petting him behind the ear and below the chin like Laila often did. “Shh, shut up, shut up. I’m working, okay? You’re alright, everything is fine, go back to sleep.”

But Turbo didn’t, Pearl’s touch obviously meaning nothing to him. Fifteen minutes later Pearl was pacing around the apartment, losing it, Laila not picking up the phone. Pearl considered calling the vet, but the cat was most likely fine, just being an asshole.

There was only one person who could help. “Max? You gotta save my ass, I’m begging you.”

“Pearl, it’s one in the morning, are you in trouble? What’s happening?”

“Laila left me alone with Turbo.”

“Oh!” Max laughed, relaxing, since Pearl was not really in danger and he wouldn’t have to come save her from some dive in Harlem. “You must be having a lot of fun then.”

“I’m not! The sucker won’t stop meowing, can you hear him?” Pearl put the phone close to Turbo’s head, the cat stopping for a second, curious, only to break out in cries again. “What do I do? Laila’s not picking up.”

“I remember she once said he really likes human contact. He’s probably missing Laila. Have you tried just hugging him? Take him on your lap and pet him, Pearl. You won’t die.”

“Maaaaax, do I have to? Is there no other way?”

“Aren’t you supposed to like pussy?” Max’s voice was sparkling with laughter and Pearl groaned.

“I can’t believe you just made that joke. Bye, thanks for nothing.”

“Good luck!” Max laughed before Pearl hung up. She threw the phone on the bedding, giving up and taking off her sweater and pants to climb into bed in just her underwear and a tank. Less clothes, less cat fur. She lied down, Turbo eyeing her suspiciously and still meowing, until she curled up right next to him and used both hands to pull him closer.

Turbo drew his little claws into the fabric of her tank, Pearl holding a breath, terrified that he’ll scratch her, but the cat just nestled between her breasts, shutting up for once. Pearl almost couldn’t believe that it worked. She run her fingers through Turbo’s fur, the healthy diet Laila had him on working miracles. He almost didn’t look like the ugly stray she brought from the street. The cat looked up at Pearl, finding eye contact and giving out the tiniest, most quiet meow sound Pearl has ever heard.

“There, there. I know you miss your mommy. I miss her too, you know? She’s amazing, she’s warm and soft and caring and her boobs are much bigger than mine, so I’m sorry for that, buddy. I guess we’re stuck with each other for now.” Pearl couldn’t believe she was actually talking to a cat. If Bible saw it, she wouldn’t let her live it down, ever. “We’re both just little kitties lost in the big big world when she’s not there to take care of us, aren’t we?” Pearl kept petting the kitty, who has finally calmed down, until she drifted off to sleep.

***

“Hey, Suzanne.”

Katya smiled when the little girl turned around, her eyes big with confusion, her hand going to her ear instantly to tug on it, a sign that she was worried. Katya had come back to school that morning, all the children out of their minds with a mix of released fear and excitement when Katya got back, all of them getting hugs and oranges as she sat down to explain what had happened at the hospital, and to tell them that she was really, truly alright.

“Would you mind staying helping me put the instruments away?”

Suzanne nodded, slowly walking to Katya’s desk, helping her with clumsy child hands to put the egg shakers and the tambourines away in the boxes.

“Thank you for the help, Suzanne.” Katya smiled, and Suzanne just nodded again, the little girl having not said a thing. Katya noticed however that Suzanne was wearing fresh clothes, her hair done in neat little buns, so it seemed like her parents had gotten everything under control, but she would still have to monitor the girl a little closer over the next week or so to make sure she was okay.

“Miss Z…”

“Yes Suzanne?”

“Are you not mad at me?”

Katya smiled, the girl’s voice so small, her hand back on her ear where she tugged again and again. Katya got up from her chair, and bent down to be on Suzanne’s eye level. “I’m not mad.”

“I did a bad thing…”

“You did, but do you remember what you also did?”

“I hit my head.”

“Not that.” Katya smiled a little at Suzanne’s answer. “Did you do anything else?”

“… I said sorry?”

“You did, and that was very good and I’m very proud of you for that. Now how about you promise to not push anyone, and I promise to be more careful? Is that a good deal?”

Suzanne waited for a beat or two, clearly trying to figure out if Katya was trying to trick her, but then she nodded, a big smile on her face.

“Good, now let’s go to recess so you can get all that energy out of the system. I heard from Miss Fischer that you climbed allll the way to the top in the tree. Do you think you could show me that?”

“Yes!!”

“I can’t wait.” Katya smiled brightly, Suzanne leading her by the hand, almost dragging her, out onto the playground.

***

Violet checked her phone, hoping to see a text from Sutan, but there was nothing there. She had asked him if he wanted to watch Batman that night, since they still needed several episodes of the animated series, and Sutan had happily agreed, her boyfriend almost back when they had talked on the phone earlier, but now that she was texting him he was barely responding, back to being moody and distant once again.

Violet put her phone away, her smile sliding into place as she focused on Betty who was sitting opposite of her, the two girls having spent the day together after work fabric shopping, both of them eager for the summer and therefore the time to work on their own projects.

“So.” Violet looked at Betty who was talking to her, even though she didn’t look up from the menu, the two girls settling down at a restaurant to have a dinner before they parted ways. “We bought some stuff, we got coffee and some fresh air, or as fresh as it can be in New York, and we even saw a cute dog. Are you ready to talk now?”

Violet was surprised at her friend’s tone; what was she on about? Violet had an idea, but she desperatly hoped Betty didn’t want to discuss the subject she thought she did. She closed her menu, her attention on Betty. “What do you mean? Talk about what? Do you have some problems you want to talk about?” Violet bit her lip, already worried that this was serious, and she could feel that her attempt at playing innocent was failing.

“No, but you do. How did Sutan enjoy the lunch on Saturday?”

“He liked it. I mean, as much as my cooking was… not great…”

“Understatement…”

“It’s not like that. He was glad that I tried, and I’m glad I tried too! We had a nice time, we always have a nice time at your place.” Violet smiled, the words feeling wrong in her mouth. She knew the visit had been weird, but she hoped that saying the words would make it true. Violet had no idea what had gone wrong, but she knew something had.

Betty sighed, clearly annoyed, and Violet grabbed the edge of her skirt, her fingers pulling on the fabric, the movement so familiar and comforting to her, the defense something she used to resort to whenever her mother looked at her in the exact same way Betty did right now.

“Fine, Violet, fine, let’s do it another way then.”

Betty touched Violet’s knee, and Violet almost flinched away, but she kept still.

“I can smell fake from a hundred miles away, okay? And I don’t like fake people, actually I hate fake people.”

“Betty, why-”

“You, however, Miss Chachki, as fake as you might /seem/, are true and real to the bone, and I appreciate that.”

“… Thank you?”

Violet could see a waiter appear out of the corner of her eye, and she quickly smiled, waving the waiter away, clearly signaling that they needed more time, Betty not even noticing the waiter.

“Sutan, however? He’s not.”

“Betty, that’s not fair, Sutan isn’t like that.”

“I’m just telling the truth. He’s like a frozen ocean. It’s so hard to get through the surface, he’s basically unreadable. It’s not like I should bother.” Violet wanted to say something, wanted to defend her boyfriend. “Something is off with you, and something was definitely off with him…” Betty squeezed Violet’s knee in encouragement. “So… I’m here, I’m your friend and I want you to tell me what’s wrong.”

Violer sat still for a while; she tried to talk, but it felt like she couldn’t, like the pressure in her chest was suffocating her, her throat closed up. Betty pulled away, a little sigh leaving her, like she was sad that Violet hadn’t been able to open up to her, and Violet felt something burst inside of her.

“I don’t know what’s wrong.”

“What?”

Violet knew she had whispered, but she couldn’t do anything more, her chest hurting as she forced herself to speak. “I don’t know what’s wrong… I… I think Sutan’s mad at me, but… I don’t know why…”

“Why don’t you just ask him?”

“I don’t think I can…”

“Well, you have to. It’s not like it’ll be the end of the world. Worst case, you’ll have a fight! Your relationship won’t fall apart because of a fight! It’s always good to get things out in the open, don’t you think?”

Violet flinched. She knew she was overreacting, but she couldn’t help it, the child inside of her desperate to escape, to get away for the conversation.

“That’s not… We don’t really do that…”

“…I’m sorry?”

“We don’t fight. We never have reasons to, so we don’t, I don’t, and I don’t want to.”

“Wow.” Betty leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms, clearly surprised by the new piece of information. “And to think my boyfriend documents all our fights in a fucking excel doc, and you guys never fight, ever. Are you sure you’re not pulling my leg?”

“I’m not…”

“That can’t possibly be healthy, Violet.”

“Thank you for the judgement, Bets.”

The waiter approched them again, and this time, Violet didn’t shun them away, the two girls ordering their food, the waiter refilling their waters and getting them a bread basket before Violet started talking again, her voice low.

“Maybe… Maybe our relationship isn’t… always perfect, but it can’t be good if you guys fight all the time either, right?”

“Well, Shane and I kind of had our fifth anniversary in March, so I’m pretty sure we’re alright. You kids need to start talking to each other, okay?” Betty gently kicked Violet under the table. “Talking. If you don’t want to fight, don’t, but make the douchebag tell you why he’s being a douchebag. Promise me you will.”

“I don’t think…”

“Well, you gotta, or I’ll type and print out all the stuff you drunkenly told me at TNT and hang them all over Galactica.”

“What? No! You can’t, Betty!”

“Well you gotta, or I will do it.”

Violet took a deep breath, pushing down the annoyance that was threatening to bubble over in her. Betty was not her enemy today.

“Okay… but only because you’re forcing me.”

“Music to my ears!”

 


	32. Chapter 32

“Thank you! Thanks, guys, thank you!” Adore shouted over the cheering crowd. “For those of you who are just joining us, we are Angry Pussy, and this next song is called ‘Fuck the Police!’”

“My sister is such an original,” Bianca whispered to Courtney, rolling her eyes.

Courtney raised an eyebrow. “That’s my best friend you’re talking about! Be nice.” She fished an olive out of her martini and put it in Bianca’s mouth, kissing her softly for good measure.

Bianca laughed. “Okay, sorry. She’s magnificent. So glad I’m financing her career.”

“Her voice is amazing; you have to admit that.”

“Oh yeah, of course, I just wish she would listen to me and work with real songwriters.”

“She’s living her dream,” Courtney said, resting a head on Bianca’s shoulder.

“Hmm, true. Me too…” Bianca breathed in the scent of Courtney’s hair and closed her eyes, tucking the petite blonde under her arm. On days like these, when Bianca was in heels and Courtney wore flats, she seemed even more dainty than usual.

“… and rise up!  
Find your voice  
Shout into the void!  
Cause together we are  
Gutter trash no more!  
Together we will  
Fuck the police!”

Courtney clapped and cheered for her friend as the song ended, and Bianca begrudgingly joined in, shaking her head. “It doesn’t really make sense, does it?”

“I mean, I appreciate the…sentiment?” Courtney said, smiling up at her.

“Thank you so much! Guys, you are the best fucking crowd ever, can I please just say that? Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!”

“Eloquence is her middle name,” Bianca muttered, and Courtney hit her gently on the shoulder.

“Alright, we’re gonna slow things down for a bit. Now, I have some special guests in the audience tonight. First of all, my sister is here, which fucking rocks. And second, she’s here with my best friend and ride or die sister, and I just love them both so much and I’m so happy they found each other. Bianca and Courtney, this one is for you!”

“Awwwww,” Courtney snuggled against Bianca tightly.

“Tale as old as time…  
True as it can be  
Barely even friends  
Then somebody bends  
Unexpectedly…”

Courtney started to giggle a little, recognizing the song through punk rock-style arrangement. Bianca was still perplexed.

“Just a little change  
Small to say the least  
Both a little scared  
Neither one prepared  
Beauty and the Beast…”

Bianca laughed and called up to Adore on stage, “FUCK YOU, BITCH!”

Adore smiled innocently down at her, eyes big. “What?! I didn’t say who was who!” Then she continued to wail into the mic. “Ever just the saaaaaaame, ever a surpriiiiiise…”

Bianca shook her head, still grinning, and muttered, “Ungrateful cunt…”

***

After the show, Adore and her band mates, along with Bianca and Courtney, piled into a big booth at a nearby chicken and waffle place. A gruff, middle-aged waitress took their order, giving Courtney major side-eye when she didn’t order anything. She started to explain that she was vegan and the woman rolled her eyes and threw up her hands, exasperated, then stalked away from the table.

“I think she’s in love with me,” Courtney remarked, laughing. “Watch out, B.”

“So…Courtney,” Aaron began, looking her up and down lasciviously. “You’re a dyke now, huh? That’s pretty hot.”

“Fuck you, drummer boy, she’d not looking for your approv-” Bianca began, ready to tear him a new asshole.

Courtney quickly stopped her, putting a hand on her arm and whispering, “I got this.” She turned to Aaron and smiled charmingly. “The thing is, Aaron, I always have been. That’s why I had to fake it with you…every time.” She batted her lashes innocently as the entire table burst out laughing…except for Aaron, who crossed his arms and glowered, hair falling into his eyes.

Adore reached over to fist bump her bestie. “Good one, muffin!”

Courtney settled back into the booth, cuddled up with Bianca, and sipped her iced tea.

“Seriously though, Courtney,” said Justin, “I’veknown you for like, what, 3 years? And you’ve always been with guys. What made you…uhh…you know…switch teams?”

“Ummm,” Courtney glanced at Bianca, not sure exactly how much was appropriate to reveal.

Adore chimed in for her. “My sister is the pussy whisperer.”

Bianca held up her glass. “Cheers,” she said, laughing. Courtney clinked glasses with her.

“Although,” Adore continued, “I mean, Bianca is enjoying the fruits of my labor here.”

“What the fuck are you talking about?” Bianca asked her.

“You know, she was all prissy and uptight when I met her. I totally loosened her up for you.”

“She’s not a jar of pickles, Adore.”

“How was I uptight?!” Courtney feigned offence.

“You know, it was like…you were Sandy in Grease. And I’m Rizzo. And I gave you some hot pants and then set you free to fuck my sister.”

“There’s lesbian action in Grease? Damn, I need to see that movie,” Aaron said.

Justin laughed. “I think that’s more the subtext, man.”

“Yeah I mean, they don’t show it on screen, but Danny and Kenickie were for sure blowing each other,” Adore explained.

“Do me a favor, Adore. Don’t ever go into journalism,” said Bianca. “Cause Fox News loves people like you who can bend the truth to fit whatever batshit thing they want to prove.”

“Okay, sis, but that was totally my backup plan. I guess now you have to pay my rent a little longer.”

“Fair trade.”

“Deal.”

***  
“Sutan, are you… Are you okay?”

Violet was at the kitchen table, a piece of toast and a cup of tea in front of her. Violet had woken up to an empty bed and a note from Sutan that he had taken Frida for her morning walk. Sutan never got up early, never ever ever ever.

Sutan looked up from his iPad, his glasses pushed up. “I’m fine, why?”

“You just don’t… It’s been a little… I just… I just want to know… Did I do something wrong?”

“Why would you think that? Nothing is wrong, we’re perfect.”

Violet took a deep breath, collecting all of her courage, anger settling in her body as well. Here she was, trying so desperately to open up, to talk to Sutan, to follow her friend’s advice, and here he was, brushing her off like everything was okay, like nothing was wrong.

“Sutan… Please? I know you’re not telling me the truth.”

“Allah save me, where you always this self-centered?” Sutan stood up and walked to the exhaust hood, grabbing a cigarette, lighting it up and turning on the hood before Violet registered what he had said.

“What?”

“You heard me.”

“Sutan, that’s not fair.”

“My friend thinks you’re using me for my money.”

Violet felt like she has been punched in the stomach, like her heart had stopped beating, blood rushing to her ears. Money? That’s what it was all about?

“And you believe him?”

“I don’t know what I believe, but maybe he’s not wrong.”

“So you’re calling me a whore?”

“I never said that.”

Violet’s mind was racing a million miles an hour. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing, what Sutan was implying, that his friends thought of her that way.

“I would never do that.”

“And how would I know?” Sutan turned to her, and Violet couldn’t read his expression at all. Who had said that about her? Who could possibly think that? Violet thought Sutan’s friends liked her, or at least tolerated her, but this had changed everything. Violet tried to hold back tears, nausea rising in her throat at the idea that Detox, Karl or Patrick would think that about her, that they looked at her and saw nothing but a cheap, filthy thing that could be bought for money. She desperately hoped it wasn’t Patrick, since the man had always been so kind to her when she was Fame’s assistant, never treating her badly even though he easily could have done so.

“How do I know you’re not just an extremely talented actress? How do I know that all of this isn’t just some fucked up game you’re playing because you want… I don’t know, money, jewerly, dresses, connections? Tell me what you want!”

“I want you Sutan, I want to be with you. I love you…” Violet quickly wiped her eyes, not willing to look weak in front of Sutan, not willing to let him believe she was manipulating him, but she couldn’t help herself as she started to cry, tears falling, her voice breaking. “You know me, Sutan, you know me better than anyone… I’d never…” Violet stood up, reaching out to Sutan, trying to touch him, hoping everything would be alright if they could just touch each other, that they would both understand, but Sutan pulled away and Violet felt like she was going to fall apart.

“Oh come on, what kind of tired bullshit is that?!” Sutan looked like a thundercloud, ready to break into storm, like a dam had broken inside of him and water was pouring out, like he had no power to stop himself. “You never tell me anything! I don’t know anything about you!”

Violet flinched, the tone of Sutan’s voice scaring her. He wasn’t yelling, but he had never raised his voice towards her before, had never done anything like this before.

“Maybe I was right… You really don’t know me at all, because if you did, you would know that I have told you things I would never even dream of telling anyone else.”

“Maybe we need to take a break.”

Violet gasped, not really understanding what Sutan had just said to her.

“I need to clear my head, I need to think and I can’t do that with you here, screwing up my judgement.”

“You want me to leave?”

“I’d like that a lot.”

***

Pearl carried in two armfuls of shopping bags to Laila’s apartment, Laila trying to recognize all the labels, and the smile Pearl was wearing was very mysterious.

“I have some great - no, wait - amazing news for you, BonBon.”

“You do?” /I hope it’s not another rooftop party/, Laila thought, sending Pearl a small smile. “Tell me then.”

“There’s this up-and-coming modeling agency who signs ‘alternative’ girls”, Pearl drew quotation marks in the ear with her fingers, hauling herself up to the kitchen counter to sit there. “You know, piercings, tattoos, rainbow hair and stuff. And they’re looking for makeup artists to collaborate with, freelance for now.”

Laila felt her heart beating in her throat. She set down the spoon she was using to stir the sauce she had been cooking. “Okay, and?”

Pearl was grinning. “They asked Kim, but she doesn’t have time. She recommended you!”

“You’re not being serious.”

“I am! Cross my heart! Do you want to see the text I got from Kim?” Pearl was reaching for her phone already.

“Oh my God, Pearl. Seriously? Would they seriously want me? Like, for real?”

“Well, they have to see your portfolio first, but when they do, I’m, like, 99% sure you have it in the bag.”

“Fuck, here it goes then, I don’t have a portfolio and you know it.” Laila felt the excitement leave her, deflating. Of course there was always something in the way.

“Luckily, you have me.” Pearl smiled triumphantly, reaching to pull Laila closer by the waist and wrap her long legs around Laila’s middle. “I know how portfolios are supposed to look like, I know your best work and I have all night, so get ready, miss, because we have work to do.”

***

Violet had started to cry the moment she closed Sutan’s front door, Frida at her feet. She knew she had to go to work, but she couldn’t. She couldn’t imagine facing anyone right now, besides maybe a taxi driver who could take her and Frida home, home to her room where she could pull down the blinds, get in bed and dissapear from the world. What did a break even mean? Violet wasn’t proud of it, but her relationship with Sutan was the second one she had ever had, so she had no frame for what it meant to be on a break, beyond what she had seen on Friends with the others at the ballet dorm, and everyone knows how well that ended.

Violet wanted to turn around, wanted to bang on Sutan’s door, wanted to beg him to reconsider, wanted to do everything to get him to take her back, but Sutan had specifically asked her for space, so she had to give him that. It was a fair request after all.

Violet saw her face reflected in the rearview mirror of the taxi she had flagged down to take her home, and she felt shame was over her. She looked like an absolute mess, her mascara thankfully waterproof, but her foundation was gone.

Violet could feel anger well up in her, the emotion leaving a bitter taste in her mouth. Violet couldn’t remember the last time she had been angry like this, her hands shaking with rage. Sutan had been so unfair, the man not listening to her at all, the jerk just assuming that she was… That she was… Violet couldn’t even think the word, the fact that her boyfriend, her fucking boyfriend believed it making her stomach tighten up in a knot.

Frida whined pityfully, not liking the car ride since she wasn’t allowed up on the seat, so Violet opened her bag to find a toy for her dog. Her fingers came into contact with a soft piece of fabric, and Violet realised it was one of Sutan’s handkercheifs, her sobs starting again before she had even the slightest chance to stop them at the thought that she might never be able to return it to him.

 

***

Katya was in the kitchen, packing lunch for Trixie and singing to herself. She had gone to her favorite bookstore earlier that week, happily flipping through the childrens’ section and getting new coloring pages, dvds for the last week before summer vacation, several new books and some cds with new music for playtime. Right now she was listening to something called Johnny Karate’s Super Awesome Music Wxplosion to test if it would be good for the kids.

Kaya had taken half a day off at school due to a doctor’s appointment. Everything was okay, so she wasn’t worried, but her fiance had insisted that she had to go check once again if Avo was really fine. Katya knew Avo was more than fine though since he had been kicking away all day, happily telling his mommy he was in there and more than fine. Katya understood Trixie’s worry though. He couldn’t feel the baby like she could, wasn’t as sure that their baby was healthy and happy and okay.

The oven dinged and Katya took out the freshly baked cinnamon and apple muffins she had made. Trixie had been so good lately, so she had decided to surprise her man at work with some delicious lunch, the muffins coming along to join her laptop and the burritos she already had packed into her bag.

There was a noise in the hallway, somebody opening and shutting the front door. Katya curiously looked out into the living room. Usually, nobody was home around this time on a workday, so Katya was wondering who it was. Maybe Trannika had come back, the woman ready to crash for another month or so, or maybe Max that had gotten off work early. The one who came through the door however, was the last person Katya expected to see.

Katyas was shocked to see Violet. Violet, the workaholic, Violet, the never sick, Violet, the ever stylish, weaing a giant, grey hoodie that Katya vaugely recognised as Max’s, and a pair of yoga pants, her hair tied into a plain bun on top of her head. Violet was walking in with Frida, the woman quickly unclipping the puppy from her leash, Frida happily running off to go find her waterbowl.

“Violet, what are you doing here?” Katya smiled, deciding to hope that there was a happy reason that Violet was still at home at 11:30 on a weekday.

“Oh…” Violet looked up, geniunly surprised to see Katya, clearly expecting to have been home alone. “Hi, Katya…” Violet was tugging on the strings of her hoodie, not really meeting Katya’s eyes, and every internal alarm in Katya went off. Something was clearly wrong with her friend.

“Why are you not at work?”

“… I’m sick…Or, I’ve been feeling…not so good… So… Here I am…”

Katya knew misery when she saw it, and Violet definitely wasn’t sick – at least not physically. Katya wanted to push and probe, find out what was wrong, but she also knew that pushing Violet to talk never resulted in anything good, their 9 months as roomates teaching her as much. She needed to be careful, although her heart broke thinking something or somebody might have hurt Violet.

“When did you come in last night?” Everyone and their mom knew that Violet was a terrible drinker, so Katyas first instinct was that something had happened to Violet while she was out. Violet was a competent woman, but whenever she got alcohol in her blood she was as trusting as a toddler and as steady as a baby deer.

“Late…”

“Oh.”

“I’m really sorry, I’ll just, I’ll go take a nap…” Violet smiled, but Katya didn’t believe it, not for a second. “I just wanted to take Frida for her walk… It’s not her fault I’m not feeling well…”

“Do you want some tea?”

’‘No, thank you, really. Thanks.” Violet looked down, not meeting Katyas eyes as she went off to get Frida, Katya hearing the door lock.

***

Courtney prided herself on her ability to persuade anyone to do anything, if she tried hard enough. Even still, Bianca was remarkably difficult to convince to accompany her to the lesbian bar in the village where she’d been dying to go for weeks (ever since Adore told her about it).

Bianca seemed weirdly uneasy on the way there and uncomfortable inside. Courtney was slightly perplexed. “I don’t get it - isn’t this your scene? Why are you so apprehensive?” she murmured, arms around her waist, cheek resting on her shoulder.

“Hey Bianca,” came a voice from behind them.   
Both of them turned to see a strawberry blonde in a mini-skirt, legs up to her neck. Her full plum-colored lips were twisted into a knowing smirk.

“Hi Cassidy,” Bianca replied, looking mildly chagrined.

Courtney bristled. She’d stupidly dragged Bianca there, completely forgetting that of course she’d been there before. With other girls. Her heart pounded in her throat and she held on tighter to Bianca’s waist, digging her fingers into the fabric of her dress.

Cassidy eyed Courtney up and down, then smirked once again and moved on. Courtney breathed a sigh of relief, but the feeling was short-lived. Soon a gaggle of models were before them, each one prettier than the last. All of them vying for the attention of the legendary editor-in-chief, the woman with a reputation for career-making casting and an eye for talent.

When they finally gave up, Bianca turned to Courtney. “Having fun yet?”

Courtney looked at her with soft, slightly guilty eyes. “Um.”

“It’s just because of what I do.” Bianca’s hand glided through Courtney’s blonde hair, tucking it behind her ear, caressing her neck.

Courtney knew that was part of it, of course, but she didn’t buy it 100% either. Those girls were looking for a foot in the door, sure, but there were much easier ways to sleep their way to the top than Bianca. She realized that this was just going to be a part of her life now. Beautiful, sexy young women throwing themselves at her girlfriend all the time. Everywhere.

Out of the corner of her eye, Courtney spotted a striking redhead making her way towards them, a determined look in her steely grey eyes.

Instinctually, without a second thought, Courtney grabbed Bianca and kissed her, long and hard and deep. When they broke apart, Bianca was panting and unknowingly clawing at her clothes. Courtney slid her hands up to Bianca’s neck from her waist, palms brushing against her nipples on the way.

“What was that for?” Bianca murmured against her open mouth.

“I just…couldn’t help it.” Courtney responded, since, ‘What do you think it was? I was marking my territory,’ didn’t seem like a very chill thing to say.

Bianca smiled at her, totally onto her game. “Okay, princess. Listen…do you wanna get out of here? It’s kind of…I don’t know, stuffy…don’t you think?”

Courtney nodded, relieved. “Yeah, let’s…let’s head out. I feel…"

“What?” Bianca asked softy as Courtney trailed off.

“I just want you…all to myself,” she explained.

“You got it, bunny.”

***

“Hey, Vivi, can I come in?” Pearl opened Violet’s door, not really caring whenever or not her friend wanted her to come in. Violet was sitting on her floor, bend over an embrodery frame filled with white silk tulle hanging off of both sides, her fingers moving in a sure and practiced pattern as she worked on filling out the pattern she had carefully mapped out.

Pearl smiled, happy that Violet was at least working, which meant that no matter what, it probably wasn’t that bad. Pearl sat down on the floor besides Violet, gently grabbing the girl’s headphones and moving them off her ear, the other finally looking at her.

“Hey Pearl…”

“You haven’t been at work in two days.”

“I’m sick…”

Pearl pushed the plate of avocado toast she had made for Violet towards her, Violet begrundingly accepting it.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“Not really…” Violet took a bite of the toast, and Pearl counted it as a personal victory. Katya had kept tabs on Violet, all of them noticing how Violet had barely left her room and that she hadn’t shown up for any of the common meals. Actually they were all pretty sure that the only times Violet had left her room had been whenever she had to walk Frida, the small pug napping in Violet’s chair as the girls were speaking.

“You know you have to come back to work, right?”

“I do… I just.. I can’t… Not… Not yet.”

“I hope you know that I’d totally beat someone up for you if you need it. Someone or something, whatever, I’ll fight the world if you need it.”

Violet laughed, her hand coming up to cover her mouth as she giggled, and Pearl had forgotten how beautiful she was whenever she let go, the way her eyes sparkled and how happy she could look when she allowed herself to feel that way.

“I’ll remember that…” Violet smiled, her hand coming to rest on Pearl’s knee.

“You have to come into work though… Trixie and I have covered for you, but I’m pretty sure the other editors and Fame worst of all is going to notice if you don’t show up for the Thursday meeting…”

Violet nodding, know Pearl was speaking the truth. Betty and Shane had both texted her a few times, and she had even heard from her desk mates, April and Manila, who asked where she was and when she was coming back.

“Tomorrow?”

Pearl looked at her friend, a small smile on her face since she could see that Violet would rather walk on coal than go to work the next day.

“I’ll tell everyone you’re working for me.”

“Thank you, Pearlie.”

“You’re welcome.”

***

Bianca laughed, sipping her coffee, listening to Fame’s abject horror at being contacted by a discount clothing chain for “irregulars.”

“Don’t they realize how much that devalues the brand?! It was so insulting.”

“Calm down, Blondie. At least it wasn’t Walmart.”

Fame shuddered. “Thank God for small favors.”

Bianca chuckled again, shaking her head, enjoying Fame’s penchant for dramatics.

“So…how are you? What’s going on at the magazine?”

“Ehh, same shit, different day. With these 90s trends, it’s getting harder and harder to stick to my ‘no flannel’ rule.”

Fame giggled. “I still support that rule.”

“But you know…overall, can’t really complain.”

“Mmm. And…uh…how’s your little cupcake doing?” Fame fluttered her lashes.

“Don’t do that.”

“Don’t do what?”

“I am the QUEEN of indirect shade, don’t fucking try me.” Bianca rolled her eyes.

“No! That’s not what I’m–B…”

Bianca set her cup down. “What?”

“I’m not trying to be shady, I swear. I genuinely want to know how you guys are doing.”

“Great. We’re great. She’s…she’s perfect, and I’m…” Bianca trailed off.

“Are things getting more serious? Do you think she’s the one?” Fame’s eyes sparkled.

Bianca sighed. “Can we stop talking about this, please?”

“Why?”

“Because feelings are GROSS!” Bianca exclaimed, exasperated.

Fame cocked an eyebrow, and Bianca hid her face in her hands.

“Shut up.” Bianca peeked through her fingers, and, after a few moments, both of them burst out laughing.

Fame shook her head. “You’re like a 12 year old. You know, the age most people are when they experience these kinds of feelings for the first time.”

“Yeah, well…fuck you too.”

“Hmph! That’s some mouth for a 12 year old!” Fame teased.

Bianca glared at her, tapping her fork on the plate. “Can we please change the goddamn subject?”

“Sure. What are you doing a week from Saturday? We should all go to dinner, the four of us.”

“Well, as enchantingly incestuous as that sounds…we’re busy that night. She’s got a performance at Dusty’s. Her first one, actually. So maybe anoth-”

“Well that sounds lovely! We’ll come support her, and then take you both out to dinner to celebrate!” Fame clapped enthusiastically.

“Uhh…”

“What kind of food does she like? Patrick is dying to go back to Gallaghers.” Fame was on her phone, adding a new event in her calendar.

“She’s a vegan.”

Fame winced. “Oh yeah. Well…”

“Or we could do dinner another night? Like in a year or so?”

“No way, Bianca del Rio, this is happening! Deal with it!” Fame grinned charmingly.

***

Violet was sitting on her bed, her room an absolute mess. Violet had looked everywhere for her pencil case, the small pouch holding all of her most used pens, pencils and colors. She had turned her entire desk inside out, every bag she had used for the last month searched as well, and she finally had to admit defeat. She had to call Sutan and ask if it was at his place. Violet hadn’t talked to him in days, and it felt weird, the fact that she was the one to break the silence almost wrong, but if she wanted to go to work, she needed her pencils, and Trixie had confirmed what Pearl told her: she wasn’t allowed to play sick anymore.

Violet dialed the number, determined to only ask about her case, but the moment Sutan picked up, she blurted out the words she would spent the night sleepless thinking about.

“Why haven’t you called?”

“Excuse me?“ Sutan’s voice was low, the rumble in her ear making a shiver run down her spine. Violet could hear music, one of the albums Sutan usually listened to when he was winding down after a long day in the background, and her heart ached with the fact that she wasn’t there.

“… Are you there?”

Violet froze; she had been quiet for too long, and all she had said was a question about why Sutan had taken the space he had specifically asked for. She had to say something, anything, anything at all.

“Do you miss me?” Fuck, she hadn’t meant to blurt that out either. Was she losing her mind?

“Are you drunk?”

“So you don’t miss me?”

“Of course I do.” Sutan sighed, and Violet felt like the smallest, most worthless little thing.”Do you need something from me? Are you in danger? Do I have to pick you up somewhere? Are you out with someone, is there someone I can talk to?”

“Do you have my pencil case?” Violet wanted to kick herself at the stupid question. This wasn’t what Sutan needed to know from her, the man obviously worried about her, and even though she shouldn’t, she still felt happy that Sutan cared about her.

“… Is that why you called me?”

“Yes…”

Violet could feel that Sutan was getting annoyed with her, and she knew she wasn’t being fair, but she kept messing up.

“Violet, is this some weird excuse to talk to me?”

“No, I swear, it’s not, I just. Can you please check? I think I left it in your office or the kitchen, please?”

“I’ll check.”

The minutes dragged out, every second feeling like an eternity. Violet had secretly hoped Sutan would bring his phone with him so she could talk to him, but he had put it down.

“I don’t have your pencil case.”

“Are you sure? Could you check again?”

“I looked in the living room too, it’s not in any of the places where you usually leave your stuff. Do you need anything else?”

“… No.”

“I’ll talk to you later.”

“Okay…”

“Goodbye, lovely eyes.”

Violet hung up, the tears running, her heart breaking the moment Sutan had called her lovely eyes.

 

***

“Are you worried about Violet? Baby?”

“What? Why would I be worried?” Betty shut her sketchbook closed when Shane settled on the couch next to her, wrapping arms around his girlfriend.

“Come on, I know you’re worried. I know you care about her. I do, too. You don’t have to play stone cold with me.”

“I’m not. And okay. Maybe I worry. Mostly I’m angry that I don’t know what’s going on with her.” Shane nodded, kissing Betty’s collarbone while she kept talking. “I wish she was normal, so I could talk to her without all the games. I don’t think I have enough patience.”

Shane giggled, the vibration reaching Betty’s body. “Do you want me to make you feel better?”

Betty raised her eyebrows at him. “Seriously? Again? You were making me fell better about that broken heel just yesterday… And then about the fact that it rained this morning… We were almost late for work.”

“Is that a no?”

“Pff, please. Now you’re just being stupid.” Betty climbed to Shane’s lap, letting him kiss her neck, something that was always guaranteed to drive her crazy.

“Bedroom?” Shane asked, both of them quickly dealing with the buttons of Betty’s blouse.

“Nah, here is fine.”

“Somebody’s feeling naughty today”, laughed Shane, feeling Betty squeeze his shoulder in exasperation. She was already grinding against him, always straight to the point, never failing to make him hard.

“What’s the point of living if you can’t get fucked in your own living room?”

“It’s not like I need any convincing! Pants off now, quick, miss.”

What Shane and Betty have learned about each other during the years of their relationship was the fact that they both didn’t really care for foreplay. The first time Betty said “Jesus fucking Christ, would you please stop wasting our time and fuck me already”, Shane realized with joy that he had found a kindred spirit. Her short temper matched his short attention span perfectly.

The same thing was about to happen today, since Betty’s pants were off before Shane managed to take off his own, so she was quick to help him out, dragging his underwear down as well. Then she stopped, standing in front of the couch with hands on her hips, a matching set of hot pink underwear that made her hair look pale in comparison. Betty was looking at Shane like he was a cake on display in a bakery and she was wondering if she should treat herself to dessert that day.

“Why are you looking at me like that? Did I put on weight? Did I - what?”

Betty laughed, biting her tongue, pulling down the lacy pink panties and climbing back to Shane’s lap so shower him with kisses: down his chest, up his arms and shoulders, then neck, finally his entire face, where she stopped, giggling like a little girl, and Shane was proud and happy to know she never giggled like that in the presence of anybody else than him, ever. Her skin was warm were Shane put his palms on her shoulderblades.

“I like you, you nerd, you know?”

“I like to think that way sometimes.” Shane run his hands down Betty’s back, unhooking her bra and taking it off.

Their lips joined for a long, slow kiss that soon grew faster and more desperate. Shane caught the loud moan Betty made as he entered her; as vocal as Betty usually was, sex has the tendency to knock all the words out of her, leaving her mostly quiet and speechless. He rocked his hips forward, observing her reactions, every little movement her body made.

“Good? Like that?” Shane couldn’t help himself, sometimes he just had to ask, to make sure Betty was enjoying the experience,

“Yes. Yes, exa - oh - exacly like that. I’m not - I don’t need too much today. I’m - not gonna last long.”

Shane didn’t care. He had his gorgeous woman on top of his lap and she kept holding onto his shoulders with the last of her strength, bringing their foreheads together, allowing Shane to kiss her and toy with her lip ring with his tongue. They both lost most of their focus though, Shane feeling pleasure building in his body, seeing Betty’s face as her mind was in a place somewhere far away. Maybe he was romantic and pathetic like that, but whatever; he favored the positions that allowed him to see his woman’s face as they made love.

He buried his face in her hair, holding on, driving them both to the finish line. Betty’s nails drawn deep into the back of his neck suggested when she was already there, Shane letting go and allowing himself to come as well.

A sly, satisfied grin bloomed on Betty’s face when Shane moved to lay a kiss on her forehead, both of them catching their breaths. “Will you watch Game of Thrones with me now? Please?”

Betty rolled her eyes, fluttering her lashes to emphasize the effect, but Shane knew there was no way she could say no right now.

“Alright, I guess. Will I hate it?” she asked, running a hand along Shane’s face, not willing to break their contact yet.

She was going to hate it. Shane knew Betty was going to hate it so, so much, but wouldn’t be able to stop watching anyway. “You’re going to love it. Promise.”

***

Laila’s hands were shaking.

‘Shaking’ might’ve been an understatement though, they were trembling, and when she threw her portfolio back into her backpack, she couldn’t zip it up. She sat down on the nearest bus stop bench, taking a few very deep breaths of the evening air, calming down slowly.

It took her a moment to remember the code to unlock her phone, but when she finally did, the first thing to do was calling Pearl.

“So?” Pearl’s voice on the end of the line was hopeful and excited.

“They liked me. I’m working my first photoshoot next week.” Laila tried to keep her voice calm, but it kept breaking. All she wanted to do was to scream with joy and relief. This was really happening. The modeling agency, which Pearl called “up-and-coming”, had a beautiful office downtown. The people whose job titles Laila has already forgotten looked through her portfolio, full of photos of her own face and Pearl’s, with a few others here and there, and, for some reason, they were impressed and offered her a deal on the spot. The first photoshoot would determine if they wanted to collaborate with her again.

“Oh my GOD, BonBon, that’s so great! Like, I’m so happy for you. I knew you could do this, and I told you, didn’t I? I’m headed home now, can you come over? I’ll buy some champagne for my makeup artist lady and you’ll tell me everything they said. And then we’ll get drunk. How does that sound?”

“Like a dream. I’ll stop by my house to get Turbo and we’re coming over, alright? It’ll be like an hour.”

“I can’t wait”, purred Pearl to the phone. “I’m so proud of you.”

To be honest, Laila was proud of herself too.

***  
Fame opened the door, Patrick and Charles trailing behind her. They had all gone out for a walk, Charles still full of energy even though he had been on three walks already with the walkers they had hired for him. 

Patrick gave Fame a quick kiss before he went in to dry off Charles’s paws and let the dog get into his bed. Fame had picked up the mail and was going through it when she noticed a giant, pink envelope that looked like it had been made by a kindergartener. Fame opened it, and a squeal left her.

“Patrick!!”“What?!” Patrick had come running instantly, turning around the corner, her husband slightly out of breath since he had run as fast as he could through the apartment, scared his wife was hurt.

“Look!” Fame held a card out with a small owl on it, a giant smile on her face. “Look! Look look look!”

“Did you scream like a pig in pain because you got a postcard from a child?” Patrick looked annoyed, but Fame didn’t care.

“No! Look at it!” Fame handed it to him, her smile only growing. “It’s Katya and Trixie’s wedding invitation!”Patrick took the card from his wife, looking at it. The outside was covered by glitter and the inside was plastered with photos of Coney Island?“Are they getting married in a theme park?”

“Seems like it, a May wedding, isn’t that romantic, love? I remember Katya telling me they wanted to get married before the baby was born. Oh, it’ll be so much fun. I’m so excited, are you excited? Look, the ceremony will be held in the square, the reception takes place at the park, the dinner has live entertainment and the party is at the hotel where we will all be staying! Oh God, I can’t wait”

“Neither can I.”

Patrick smiled, not because he was looking forward to the wedding in itself, but because Fame was beyond excited, the woman so happy that her pets were going to get married, that they loved each other and that her and Patrick got to spend the day with them. 

****  
    
Violet was in a taxi on her way to work, her heart in her throat. Pearl had come into her room that morning, waking her up, brushing her hair and helping her to get dressed despite her protests that she was still sick and that you couldn’t force sick people to go to work.

Pearl’s help was the reason why Violet was wearing an outfit that was normally totally out of her comfort zone, her legs wrapped in a pair of Pearl’s black pants, a black band t-shirt and a hoodie keeping her upper body warm while her hair had been pulled back into a high ponytail.

The taxi held in at the Galactica building, and even though Violet payed the cab driver and got out of the car she wanted nothing more than to get back in, go to the nearest airport and disappear off of the face of the earth. She didn’t want to face the people at work, didn’t want to face Trixie’s pity, Shanes anxiety, Betty’s gloating, but worst of all Raja’s confusion if she was unlucky enough to run into the older woman.

Violet made her way down the halls, not making eye contact with anyone, keeping to the side, doing her best to be invisible, and so far it seemed to be working out, no one really noticing or recognizing her as her and she silently thanked Pearl.

Violet took a deep breath before she pushed open the door to design, hoping with all of her heart that she could just sneak to her desk and keep a low profile the entire day, but she didn’t even have time to grab the handle before the door was opened by Betty, the pink-haired woman clearly on her way to the warehouse if the basket in her arms was any indication.

Betty and Violet stared at each other, and Violet instantly knew. Betty looked right through her, her friend seeing everything Violet had so desperately tried to hide, and now Betty knew, without an inch of doubt, what Violet’s biggest and most shameful secret was. Sutan didn’t want her anymore, and Violet wanted to die.

 

***

Betty was carried to Elite Management headquarters by two things: her brand new Jeffrey Campbell heels and anger. Lots and lots of anger. She had one thousand things she should rather be doing, hell, she should be at work, because it was eleven in the morning , but what she saw in Violet’s eyes and the way the dark-haired girl looked set off an avalanche of emotions. Somebody had hurt Violet, and that somebody was going to explain himself. Right now.

A girl by the reception desk tried to stop Betty, obviously, Betty claiming she was here to see Sutan Amrull and that her name was Violet Chachki. The receptionist was unconvinced, frowing, ready to ask for ID before Betty sent her the coldest glare she could muster and saw the girl slowly backing down.

Then there was a labirynth of corridors, but Betty kept riding on the angry wave, a mysterious force soon before long revealing a glass door with elegant lettering spelling /Sutan Amrull, senior manager/ on them and she pushed the door with all her force.

Oh, shit, another desk lady.

“Excuse me, miss? Do you have an appointment? Miss? You can’t just barge in like that, this is not -”

Betty was already at Sutan’s door, looking at the other woman for a second short enough to give her the finger, and then practically kicking down the door to Sutan’s inner office.

’‘What the hell are you doing, Betty?”

He had a corner office, obviously. The man lived in some kind of a tv show reality, everybody else just a supporting character to let his star power shine.

“Hey, Douchey McDoucheface! Care to explain what the fuck you did to Violet?”

“What?” Sutan looked up from his desk, clearly confused by the fact that Betty had just barged into his office. “Whatever happened is between Violet and I. It’s none of your business. Pleas-”

“No. It became my business the second I saw her at work today, for the first time in /days/, and she looks like she spent the time she pretended to be sick actually locked in her bedroom and crying her eyes out.”

“What?”

Sutan wasn’t shocked by the relevation, not at all, the reality hitting Betty hard: something bad did happen. The man looked upset and uncomfortable and Betty didn’t pity him at all. He deserved this, and so much more.

“She was crying?” he asked quietly, shuffling some papers on his desk without looking at them. “Are you sure? She hasn’t been to work?”

“She is /broken/, you fuck. She is fucking miserable and broken, she’s wearing Pearl’s clothes from high school and you have to do something about this, do you understand?” Betty stepped forward to grab Sutan by the front of his shirt, but he took a step back, shielding himself with his hands.

“Betty, I don’t think this is an appropriate conversation for you and I to have, let me call you a taxi that can take you ho-”

“Like hell you will!”

“Sir, is everything okay? Should I call security?” Sutan’s desk lady cracked the door open, sticking her head in, Sutan quickly waving her off, a pleasant and polite smile slinding onto his face.

“We’re fine, Mimi, thank you for the concern. Miss Ruhren is just here for a personal matter. Would you mind getting us some coffee? And move my appointment with Jaslene 20 minutes, I’m sure that’s all we need, right, Elizabeth?”

“Don’t you dare fucking call me that. Ever.”

“We’re fine.”

The woman - Mimi - obviously didn’t look convinced, but she shrugged and left, closing the door behind herself, Betty wondering if Sutan somehow tipped his assistant off in a secret code that she should call the security after all. Betty had to hurry this ordeal the fuck up.

“Eli- Betty. I know you’re upset, I know you’re angry, but what made you think you can just walk in here? How did you get in?”

“This is hardly what matters right now. What matters is you messing Violet up, and how you’re gonna fix it.” Betty took a long, long breath, trying to even the tone of her voice, seeing that her hot anger only crashed and burned against Sutan’s calm, cold wall, the man not engaging her at all. She felt more and more like an angry puppy baging on a locked door than a fire-breathing dragon.

“I’m not a miracle worker, Betty, I’m just doing the best that I can.”

“Well then your best isn’t good enough! Try harder!” Betty already forgot about the man who got Shane a meeting with a music producer. She forgot about the man who bought them drinks and played boardgames with them. All that was left in front of her was a traitor who had hurt her friend.

“Betty, I don’t think you’re being fair right now. There are two sides to every story, and I’m sorry Violet is upset, that was never my intention, but this is not a breakup, this was never a intented to be a breakup. I realize you’re Violet’s friend, but can we please sit down and talk about this like adul-”

“No! We are not going to sit down, I’m not going to talk with you because you don’t deserve it! I don’t want to hear your excuses. You don’t get to treat Violet like that, not when she’s been nothing but caring and loving to you.”

At those words, Sutan grew angry and stood up, Betty truly realizing how tall he was, his mood changing from a pleasant, although tightly controlled calm to cold anger, and Betty couldn’t help but think of Raja, the fact that she was standing in front of her brother so painfully clear.

“Betty, I’m going to have to ask you to shut up and stay out of buisness that has nothing to do with you. I don’t think you and I have anything further to discuss. You’re obviously not here to talk to me, and believe me, I already hate myself more than enough for two people, so I don’t need your help. The door is that way. Please let security take your photo on the way out so they know they should ban you from the building.”

“You hate yourself? And where is that coming from all of a sudden?”

“You think I don’t have feelings?” Sutan smiled a little, clearly amused at Betty’s question and her obvious surprise. “Here you come, barging into my office like you own the place, cheating your way past security to yell at me for being an asshole and you haven’t considered the opportunity that I’m human too?”

Sutan sat back down, running his tattooed fingers through his greying hair, for one second looking old enough for the age he was. When he spoke again, his tone was defeated. “I’m not a good person, Betty, I know I’m not. I’ve done and said shit that you couldn’t even dream off, and I knew it was only a matter of time before it all came thumbling down because I fucked it up, but she made me want to be better, she looked at me and saw someone who I was worth it, and believe me, I’m sorry too.”

“You are the dumbest person I have ever met. Do you think Violet cares about all of this? Your past mistakes, all your regrets and all the stupid shit you did? Do you think she cares about your money and your connections and your entire douchey world? Do you seriously think that?”

“I really don’t -”

“She doesn’t! She literally thinks you walk on water. She cherishes every single thing you do, she loves you, okay? For reasons I don’t even try to understand you are her whole world and it’s pretty damn fucked up that you doubted it.”

“How can you possibly know that, Betty? She never tells me anything. We talk, we joke, but she’s so… She’s so quiet. She never complains, she never says anything, not about the smoking, not about this. It’s like I barely know her.”

“You think you barely know her? Most people in our department wouldn’t even know her name if Trixie didn’t shout it out on her first day and she wasn’t such a God damn goody two shoes who gets her shit picked all the time. You think she doesn’t talk to you? Well, at work she barely talks! She keeps to herself, and always behaves like she’s making sure she doesn’t bother anyone. I swear I thought she was a robot for the longest time, all because she never did anything that was even slightly human, and you triviliaze that she jokes around you? You’re saying you don’t know her? Nobody knows her like you do.”

Sutan looked like he had no idea what to do with the information, like what Betty had just told him was something he had never considered before. “Betty… I… I don’t know what to say… If you’re telling the truth? Are you telling the truth?”

“I am.”

“Shit… I’ve never met anyone like her before.”

“And you won’t, because there’s only one Violet, and you better appreciate the hell out of her. Do you know how she lights up when you enter the room? You don’t even realize how her entire face changes, her entire body, the tone of her voice? She loves you. She doesn’t behave that way around anyone else but you. It’s not fake, I can promise.”

“But I fucked it up now, haven’t I? She won’t ever forgive me.”

“Jesus Christ. I don’t know what exactly happened between you two, but for God’s sake, on top of being an ass biscuit, do you also have to be stupid? Go apologize to her right now, and better buy her a bouquet so big that she needs to keep it in a bathtub.”

Sutan looked up, something in his face changing slightly. “You’re a very special woman, Betty.”

“Thank you. I know.”

Mimi came in again, announcing that Jaslene, whoever that was, was there for her meeting.

“I’ll see you later.” Sutan left the office, nodding at Betty. She wanted to be sure he would apologize and make things right with Violet, but you could never be sure with Sutan, so she satisfied herself with having at least tried her best.

“See you! Now, Mimi, where’s the coffee?”

***

“So when are the twins due?”

Trixie looked up from the second burrito that he was scuffing down. He and Kim were sitting in the cafeteria, enjoying the fact that it was Taco day  and that they were some of the only people from Galactica that actually used the cafeteria on that day. It was one of Trixie’s favorite days of the week, both because of the delicious food, but also because most of his staff used their overtime to take long lunches, which meant it was the most relaxed part of his week.

“What are you talking about?”

“The baby you’re carrying for your wife.” Kim smiled and poked her finger into Trixie’s stomach that was beyond full from the nachos, the quesadillas and his soda. Not mentioning the burrito in his hand and the cinnamon twists he had saved for later. “I think it’s very modern of you that you’ve decided to give birth as well.”

“Ha ha, very funny. I’m just bloated.” Trixie gently pet his stomach, the skin sore from Kim’s poke.

“Maybe 10 pounds ago.”

“Sympathy weight is a thing… Katya read about it in a book.” Trixie finished off his burrito, his cheeks pink with embarrassment.

“I’m proud of you, feminism is very in these years, and pregnancy looks good on you.”

“Shut up or I’ll eat your dessert as well.”

“Like that was ever a question.” Kim laughed, the two friends falling into conversation even though Trixie’s ears remained red for the rest of lunch, the press of his stomach against his belt a constant reminder that maybe, just maybe, Kim was right.

***

“Laila? Did you read the comments on our unboxing vid?”

Pearl was sitting cross-legged on the floor by the couch where Max and Laila were settling down to watch A Series of Unfortunate Events. The blonde was scrolling through pages in her laptop, lazily petting Turbo with her other hand.

“The comments? No, of course not, I’m not insane.”

To satisfy the sponsors who kept sending her makeup samples, Pearl had decided to record an unboxing video for a couple of products, practically begging Laila to be in it as “a makeup expert and eye candy” and Laila had agreed, actually having fun covering her hand in swatches and complaining about Kylie Jenner lipsticks. But Laila didn’t really plan on reading comments underneath the video; she was afraid to get seriously hurt by the critique, especially since Pearl allowed Laila to test a few products on her in the vid.

“What do they say?” asked Max, leaning over to peek at Pearl’s screen curiously. Laila wished for the couch to eat her up.

“They’re… basically, they’re all asking for your channel, BonBon! Somebody complained they can’t find your own Youtube channel and then there’s this entire thread that you should have one.”

“/Always enjoyed Laila in your Periscopes, you should show her more often/, /She’s got some serious knowledge and skills/… Laila. You should see for yourself, the comments are really good!” Max put a hand on Laila’s shoulder, urging the girl to uncover her eyes.

“Guys. Guys! What if they’re right?!” Pearl suddenly sat up straighter, taking the computer off her lap and jumping to the couch, squeezing in between Max and Laila. “You should start your own channel! You could show makeup techniques, you could test out new products… you could, like, paint other people! Like me! Laila, that would be so good!”

“Are you kidding me? There are thousands of people who already do that, what’s the use of another?” Laila couldn’t believe the idea would catch. She didn’t consider herself charismatic or talented enough to pull that off; Pearl’s perception of things was skewed. So what if she got a couple of nice comments? That didn’t mean Laila could become a Youtuber out of the blue.

“But you’re talented!”

“Yeah, as if-”

“Actually, Laila, I think Pearl is completely right”, injected Max, and Laila felt her defences crumbling down. He was always the ultimate voice of reason. “You’re starting a career as a makeup artist and a strong online presence would help you make a name for yourself. You have this quality that makes you really easy to listen to, and the camera likes you. And, most importantly, you already know someone with a significant online following, who could hype you out. Right?”

“Maxie, I think you mean me”, grinned Pearl, knowing they had Laila trapped from both sides. “Please, Laila? Will you at least try? I promise to help every step of the way.”

“And I’d gladly record you and edit the video, or teach you to edit it yourself, whichever you prefer”, said Max. Laila found herself actually entertaining the idea. Could she pull it off? Lately, she had a tendency to succeed in things she didn’t think she had any chance doing well in.

“Okay, okay, you win! I’ll try! Just let me think of what my first video should be, alright!?”

“Yes!” Pearl threw herself into Laila’s arms, kissing her enthusiastically, Max cheering and hugging Laila as well. “You’re gonna do amazing!”

What did she have to lose after all?

***

Sutan came home from work, a bag of Chinese in his hand, Betty’s words still rolling around his head. Violet’s phone call seemed completely different after Betty’s explosive rage, the fact that her friend had defended her so viciously making Sutan reconsider whenever or not he had misunderstood Violet’s intentions.

Sutan dumped down on his couch, the container getting opened and the chopsticks separated, neither leaving the bag as he ate.

Sutan had brushed off Violet’s phoncall earlier in the week, frankly annoyed in the moment that she had dared to call him with such an obvious excuse for a chance to talk, how she had seemed like every one girl he had said no to or told he needed his space, but Betty changed everything. Sutan had seen Violet’s silence as a sign that she was keeping something from him, her stammers an indication of her lying or playing charades, but maybe that wasn’t the case at all.

Sutan picked through the container, the pieces of beef disappearing as he was deep in thought. If he was being perfectly honest with himself, he was well aware why Karl’s words had gotten room to grow in his mind. He was worried that Violet couldn’t possibly be with him because of who he was and who he represented, the age difference between them the least of his worries, even though it was a big factor. Violet was in her best age, while Sutan was only getting older.

Sutan dropped his chopsticks on the floor and swore to himself as he bent down to pick them up. He was annoyed that he would have to go to the kitchen to get a fork before he could finish his dinner, but then he saw a black pouch laying underneath the couch. Sutan reached in and pulled it out, the man feeling absolutely horrible when he realised that it was Violet’s pencil case. Sutan had assumed that Violet had called him up with a lie, but in his hand was the proof that he was wrong. Sutan opened it and saw that all of Violet’s work tools were indeed in there, her favorite pen, the pencils that were barely the lenght of a thumb, her stupid yellow rubber and the flower-shaped clips she used to hold her sketches together. He had no idea how it had gotten underneath the couch, but by the small bitemarks in the leather that was tied to the zipper, he was pretty sure that Frida was the cuprit, the small dog having apparently run off with it at some point when Violet wasn’t looking.

Sutan took a deep breath. He had been such a fucking jerk, thinking the worst of Violet, thinking that she had been like everyone else when she had probably had to collect all of her courage to actually call him up.

Sutan knew himself, and he knew he wasn’t a good man, but when Violet looked at him he was better, and Betty had confirmed that, had told him that Violet really did care about him, she cared about Sutan, and not Mr. Amrull. Sutan put the container down, making his decision. He had to see Violet, and they had to talk, actually talk, this time.

 


	33. Chapter 33

“Ughhhhhh…” After denying that she was sick in any way the night before, Bianca had been in the bathroom all morning, throwing up, while Courtney held her hair back and pressed cold washcloths to her forehead and neck. Now she tossed around the bed, tangled in the sheets, unable to get comfortable. “Oh my god, I’m burning all over,” she moaned.

Courtney set a tray down on the bedside table. “Maybe you should take more NyQuil, B.” She put a cool hand to Bianca’s forehead to feel her temperature. “Oh, wow, you’re right.”

“Oh my god, please keep your hand there. I feel like I’m a thousand degrees and it’s…” she started to cough and Courtney handed her a tissue.

“A thousand degrees? Maybe it’s a hot flash.”

Bianca opened her eyes and glared at her.

Courtney giggled and sat down beside her on the bed. “I’m kidding, babe, I’m sorry.”

Grunting and flipping onto her back, Bianca sighed.

Courtney bit back a smile. She was such a grumpy patient. But even so, she loved taking care of her. She tried to smooth down the tangled sheets, asking softly, “What do you want? I got you some soup, do you…?”

Bianca shook her head pitifully.

“Tea? Orange juice? I could draw you a bath…”

Shaking her head some more and whimpering, Bianca wrapped her arms around Courtney’s waist and buried her face against her. “Just stay with me, baby.”

Courtney lay down beside her and gathered Bianca into her arms. “Okay, my love,” she said, stroking her back gently.

“I hope I don’t get you sick,” Bianca murmured.

“I think think that ship has sailed, babe.”

“Hey, Court?”

“Yes?”

“I love you.” Her voice was weak and scratchy and her eyes were half closed, but for Courtney, it was like Christmas morning. She felt like she was melting into a little puddle at Bianca’s feet.

“I love you too, B,” Courtney whispered. She continued to rub her back, praying that the long, gentle strokes of her hand would finally ease her to sleep.

Bianca moaned softly, gripping Courtney’s waist and pressing her cheek against the cool, smooth skin just below her throat.

“Is this okay?” Courtney asked, hands moving in slow circles.

“Mmmm, it’s perfect. You’re perfect.”

“Wow, you must have a really high fever. You’re delirious.”

Bianca shook her head, insisting, “No, I’m serious. I’m sorry I’ve been so cranky today.”

“You’re allowed to be cranky. You’re sick.” Courtney kissed the top of her head.

Sighing softly, Bianca turned her face so that her lips rested against Courtney’s collarbone. She shifted her body so that one of her legs was slung over Courtney’s, and arched against her, rubbing against her hip.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Courtney tilted her face up, an amused smirk playing at the corners of her mouth.

“I told you…I’m burning up.”

“Are you serious?”

“Please, baby…” Bianca pleaded, moving against her faster.

Courtney slid one of her hands down into Bianca’s underwear and squeezed her ass. She moved her hand to the front and began to stroke her clit lightly, while Bianca whimpered and strained against her. Courtney slid her other hand under her tank top to press it against her scorching hot skin. She felt mildly guilty of touching her in this feverish state, so she murmured, “Are you actually enjoying this?”

Bianca gripped her tighter and whimpered in response.

***

Sutan was standing out of the Galactica building, watching suit after suit stream out from every floor that didn’t belong to Galactica. He was on his third cigarette, Violet of course not leaving work when she was actually off duty, his girlfriend still as hard a worker as ever. Sutan had hoped to catch her and invite her for dinner to they could talk. He had asked Shane to check Violet’s work hours, the other man taking longer to answer then he had ever before, Sutan suspecting that Betty had had a finger in the game, either delaying or talking Shane into sharing the information with him. Betty’s visit to his office had been unexpected in every way, but that was a specialty Violet had. She made the most loyal friends he had ever met.

Sutan threw his cigarette on the ground and stepped on it, almost missing Violet who finally stepped out of the building, since he didn’t recognize her, the girl dressed in a hoodie and jeans, the hood covering her hair and face, his normally competent and confident girlfriend looking for all intent and purpose like she was hiding from the world and herself. Sutan felt his stomach drop. Was he responsible for this. Violet hadn’t spotted him yet and he wanted to run, but he knew he couldn’t, knew he had to be the adult one between them and that he had to fix this. Sutan walked up to her, gently touching Violet’s shoulder, making the girl jump in surprise.

***

“Does it fit okay?”

“This is the third time you’ve asked me if it fits.” Katya smiled. Trixie was sitting on his knees in front of her, hand-stitching the wedge he had put in so it could be pulled out if needed. “Stop worrying. I’m sure everything will be fine.”

Trixie nodded, not really hearing Katya’s words as he was focused on making everything perfect. Katya and Trixie were at Trixie’s office in Galactica, Katya standing on top of a small podio that Trixie had taken down. It had been ages since Trixie had last sown anything, but he had insisted that he was the one who was going to sew Katya’s wedding dress, not even making it a question.

“Okay, I think I’m done for now.” Trixie stood up and went to the other side of the room to get a mirror so Katya could see what he had been working on.

Katya looked at herself in the mirror. Trixie was working on her wedding gown, and it was so beautiful that she wanted to cry. The dress was made in a dark blue fabric, golden stars decorating the sleeves and everything but her belly, which Trixie had made into a bright, golden, beautiful sun, the Cancer star sign painted in blue in the middle since every doctor they had met had told them that their son would be born as a Cancer in either June or July. It stopped at her knees, making sure she wouldn’t get too hot, the soft shorts underneath making sure she could move around with no worries.

“What do you think?”

“It’s perfect. It’s perfect, you’re perfect, all of this is going to be…” Katya quickly wiped away her tears, embarrassed at how happy she was, but she couldn’t keep it down. She gestured for Trixie, desperately failing, not calming down until Trixie stepped up and hugged her, Trixie’s strong, soft arms holding her as she cried, a smile on her face, her voice small as she finally finished her sentence. “Absolutely perfect.”

***

“So…”

Violet was sitting in front of Sutan, a cup of tea between her hands, the hoodie still pulled around her like protective amour, covering her hair, casting a shadow on her face.

Sutan had asked her if she wanted to come to one of the cafes near her work so that they could talk, Violet reluctantly agreeing, his girlfriend as skittish as a baby deer that had been caught by a human hunter. When Sutan had come up with the plan of meeting in a cafe, he had thought that it was a genius idea. A cafe would be a neutral place where they could talk, neither of them having the advantage of home turf, neither of them caught in a place they couldn’t leave because they lived there, but it seemed like he had miscalculated. Violet was even quieter than usual, the girl barely even meeting his eyes. Sutan was scared Violet would get up and go if he made a wrong move, the fact that they were in public an obvious flaw in his plan now that he had Violet in front of him. The hustle and the bustle of the cafe did create a sense of privacy. It was false, but it still felt like privacy.

The cards where stacked against him, but Sutan took a deep breath anyway, ready to put it all out there, hoping with everything he had that Violet would see his suggestion of this place as the olive branch it was supposed to be.

“You look… Good.” Sutan winced. He sounded like an awkward high schooler, and he wanted to kick himself. “Not that you don’t always do-”

“Don’t lie to me.” Violet looked up at him, a small smile on her face. “I know I look like shit… Pearl picked it… I’ve been wearing hoodies all week and I’m pretty sure I’m ready to start my career as a hip hop artist soon…” Violet laughed, her eyes not really smiling before she looked at her hands again, not meeting his eyes, but she was reaching out to him too, and that was all he needed.

Sutan smiled back, and all of a sudden it felt like he could breath again, his legs stretching out underneath the table so their feet where touching, the connection making him calm, the fact that Violet could still smile, that she could still joke after his mistake relaxing him a little.

“I want to say sorry.”

“What?” Violet’s head snapped up, her face the perfect picture of surprise. “You’re not here to break up with me?”

“I’m not.” Sutan shook his head. Was that why she had come with him? Because she thought he wanted to end everything? Sutan’s heart ached at how stupid, brave and absolutely amazing Violet was.

“I’m surprised you haven’t broken up with me to be honest. I’ve been a total dickhead, believing what my friend said about you, thinking you were a liar, not… Not realizing how much you have always given me…” Sutan looked at Violet, her eyes following his every move, her attention total as he spoke. “I should have trusted you, and I should have listened, and I didn’t.”

“It’s not…” Violet tugged on the sleeve of her hoodie. “It’s not about that.. Or, it is.. But… It hurt me that.. That you didn’t… I don’t… I don’t talk to people, Sutan, I don’t, and I’m… I tried so hard to say something and then…”

Sutan was listening, Violet’s words coming out in a stumble, some whispers, all of them muddling together into one big mess, but if Sutan had learned anything at all, it was that he had to listen to her.

“I just… I want to talk to you, and I want to… I’ll do better… I promise.”

“You did nothing wrong.” Sutan reached over the table, gently taking Violet’s hand in his, the softness of her skin such a relief to feel after their week apart. “I know we never discuss this, but I haven’t had a serious girlfriend in more years than I can count, if I have ever had one… This is new to me, being in a relationship is new, but I’m not perfect and I’m hoping that you want to give me another chance, because I fucked up, and I’m sorry.”

Violet squeezed Sutan’s hand, holding it ever as tightly as she could.

“I’d like that a lot…”

“I’d like that too.”

***

Sutan was laying in Violet’s bed, the girl in his arms, the two lazily kissing, his hand on Violet’s hip, the other buried in her hair. He had no sense of time, no idea how long they had been doing this, but he knew that it was all he needed right now. Violet’s lips were soft and perfect, her mouth slack, small gasps leaving her whenever he bit down on her lips that were plump from their kissing.

Sutan had taken Violet home, more than ready to say goodbye at the door, but Violet had shyly asked him to come inside. There had been a small smile on her face when she had told him that she was sure Frida would love to see him, but the little pug had been happily snoring away, tuckered out after Katya had taken her on a walk to the nearest bakery for a batch of bacon muffins with vanilla frosting.

Sutan felt Violet’s hand on his, their fingers lacing together as she guided him down towards her ass, Sutan quickly pulling Violet even closer, the bulk of her hoodie thick between their chests, but he didn’t care. Violet’s ass was phenomenal, just the right size, the fact that he got to run his hand over the full deliciousness of it an absolute joy, the firm muscles Violet was hiding underneath her softness a pleasure to feel as he lazily petted her. Sutan couldn’t remember the last time he had spent this long kissing someone, but for now it was perfect, no urges in him desperate to tear Violet apart and put her back together, no burning desire to take take take and to mark, but instead just this full, warm feeling in his chest of contentment and what he knew was love.

Sutan was just about to release a kiss down Violet’s throat, when something, or rather a little someone, jumped on his side, a paw getting jabbed into his ribs.

“Ouch!” Sutan felt his breath getting knocked out of him, but he could only smile when he turned to lay on his back, a small excited yip telling him that a certain someone had woken up from their nap, a laugh leaving him as he located the criminal in question.

“Hey, you little monster!“ Sutan smiled brightly, his hand easily covering Frida’s little body, Violet already curled up on his chest, her head resting on his shoulder.

“Did you miss me?” Sutan picked up Frida, holding the puppy in front of his face with one hand. Frida wiggled happily back and forth, her small paws working as if she was trying to swim to him, her tongue hanging out from pure excitement.

“Did you miss me, baby?”

“Woof!”

“Because I missed you, yes I did, yes I did!”

“Woof!”

Sutan laughed and put Frida down on his chest, the puppy immediately putting her paws on his face, her small, wet nose touching everything her tongue couldn’t reach as she said hi to her daddy, Violet’s voice joining Sutan, both of them so happy to see Frida’s joy.

***

Courtney sat in front of the lighted mirror, staring at her reflection. She’d let Bianca dress her all in black, and do her hair, and smoky eyes, and somehow the whole effect made her look older, mature in a way she wasn’t sure she felt entirely comfortable with. She tugged on one of her elbow length gloves nervously.

She’d performed dozens of times, but somehow this was different. This wasn’t her typical coffeehouse open mic, or a student performance. This was a show, with other artists who had actual record deals, with real musicians, with real audience members who paid an actual cover. When she’d been rehearsing all month with Michelle, she never really stopped to think about what a big deal it was.

And Lucien was in the audience. What if she bombed? What if he decided that she was hopeless and pulled the plug on everything? How could Bianca ever respect her if she couldn’t handle two songs in a showcase? How could ANYONE? And why on earth was Miss Fame there?

She took a gulp of her tea, closing her eyes and trying to calm her racing thoughts. She tried to clear her mind with a repeated mantra. /I can do this, I can do this, I can do this…/

*

“Alaska! How lovely to see you here!” Fame beckoned Alaska over to the large booth she was sitting in with Patrick, Bianca and Lucien. “Come, sit, darling!”

“Hi, yeah I told Courtney I would-”

“Alaska! Yo bitch, come sit with us, not those loser adults!” Adore cried. She jumped up, grinning, to drag Alaska away.

“Adore, that’s my BOSS,” Alaska hissed.

Adore giggled. “Whatever, she’s fine. She knows I’m way more fun than her and my sister. Right, Fame?”

Fame smiled magnanimously. “Alaska, go have a good time. I can vouch for Adore being fun.”

“She’s certainly a bigger slut than any of us, so that’s a huge plus,” Bianca added.

Adore raised her eyebrows and snickered, “Highly debateable, ladies.” She then blew a kiss at them and pulled Alaska over to her booth, where they squeezed in beside Morgan, Tatianna, Naomi and Tyra.

Patrick glanced over at Bianca. “You alright there, slugger?”

Bianca’s hands, which were shredding a napkin to bits, froze. “Of course, I’m fine. I just…you know, Courtney is a little nervous and…shut up.” She folded her hands in her lap, ignoring the knowing looks that Fame and Patrick exchanged.

“She’s gonna kill it, B. I’ve seen her, she’s totally ready for this,” Lucien assured her.

“Yeah, I know.” Bianca chuckled. “She wouldn’t even tell me what songs she’s singing.”

“Maybe she thought you’d give her your judgey face,” Fame teased.

“That’s–I–Oh, blow it out your ass!”

Fame laughed and leaned on Patrick’s shoulder. “I love how easy she is to rattle these days.”

Lucien burst out laughing. “Rather refreshing, isn’t it?!”

“Fuck. You. All,” Bianca glowered, crossing her arms.

***

Courtney waited in the wings, hands clasped together, butterflies filling her stomach. The MC introduced her and she could hear applause and cheering, and in particular Adore’s voice screaming above the rest. She walked out, smiling at the audience, grateful for the bright lights that prevented her from seeing everyone’s faces.

She reached for the mic and took a deep breath, nodding to the pianist. Closing her eyes briefly while the music began, she let the chords wash over her, taking her deep into the emotions of the song, and then started to sing.

“Maybe this time, I’ll be lucky  
Maybe this time she’ll stay  
Maybe this time, for the first time, love won’t hurry away  
She will hold me fast  
I’ll be home at last  
Not a loser, anymore, like the last time and the time before”

Bianca’s heart was pounding so hard that she was sure everyone at the table heard it. Courtney’s voice was beautiful, angelic, and there was a raw quality to it that made her appear so vulnerable, like she was split open and BLEEDING on stage. Bianca longed to run to to her and kiss her and kiss her, especially when a single tear rolled down her cheek.

“Everybody loves a winner  
So nobody loved me  
Lady Peaceful…Lady Happy…that’s what I long to be  
All the odds are in my favor  
Something’s bound to begin  
It’s gonna happen, happen sometime.  
Maybe this time I’ll win…”

Courtney turned her face to the sky for a moment, breathing deeply, forgetting the audience and the lights and the stage and singing the rest of the song directly to Bianca.

“Cause…everybody, they love a winner  
So nobody loved me  
Lady Peaceful…Lady Happy…that’s what I long to be  
All the odds are here in my favor  
Something’s bound to begin  
It’s gonna happen, happen sometime  
Maybe this time…for the first time…  
Maybe this time I’ll win…

Courtney lowered her head as the music faded, and then raised it again as the applause and cheering began. She took a breath and wiped the tears from her face, smiling gratefully and bowing.

Fame leaned over to Bianca, saying, “Wow…B, she can really sing. I’m shocked!”

“What did you think?” asked Lucien as she exited, putting away the phone that he was using to record her performance.

Bianca cleared her throat, tears stinging her eyes. “That was…um, it was really, really good. I…” she trailed off, not trusting herself.

“Did you like the pronoun changes?” He grinned disarmingly. “That was her idea.”

“Yeah, I…um…”

“Are you actually getting misty-eyed there, B?” Patrick questioned, eyebrows raised.

“Fuck you, Patrick.”

Patrick laughed, wondering if maybe Bianca del Rio really was in love with this girl.

*

Backstage, Courtney raced to the dressing room, adrenaline rushing through her veins, her self-confidence soaring. She finally understood why Lucien wanted her to do this in the first place. If she could kill it with just the vocals, then performing pop songs was going to be a piece of cake. Well, maybe not a piece of cake, but she could stop doubting herself and overthinking.

She quickly traded her long black evening gown (borrowed from Bianca with assistance from the Marie Claire tailors) for her second outfit - a shorter dress with a flared skirt, dangerously low cut, and her favorite part - high red rhinestoned heels. The stripper version of ruby slippers, according to Adore. They made her legs look amazing and the extra five inches of height was quite welcome. She touched up her makeup, carefully fixing it where her tears had smudged her eyeliner, and looked at herself in the full length mirror, ready to go back out and kill it.

***

The second Courtney started to sing her second song, Fame and Patrick looked over at Bianca will total glee.

“Strange dear, but true dear  
When I’m close to you dear, the stars fill the sky  
So in love with you am I  
Even without you, my arms fold about you  
You know, darling, why  
So in love with you am I”

Bianca felt her cheeks begin to heat up, knowing what was coming. She avoided eye contact from her smirky asshole friends and focused on Courtney’s performance, her bright eyes and soft, lovely voice.

“In love with the night mysterious  
The night when you first were there  
In love with my joy, delirious  
When I knew that you could care  
So taunt me, and hurt me, deceive me…desert me”

This was the point where Fame had to suppress an actual giggle. Patrick squeezed her thigh to get her to stop and she pressed her lips together, folding her hands and watching the rest of the performance attentively.

“I’m yours til I die  
So in love   
So in love   
So in love with you, my love…am I”

Bianca continued to ignore them amidst the thunderous applause, standing up and cheering, thrilled by the joy shining in Courtney’s eyes, heart bursting with pride for her.

“Damn! That was even better than I expected!” exclaimed Lucien. “She really sang her FACE off!”

When they sat back down, Fame turned to Bianca and whispered, “So…did that change your mind about the song, B?” in the most infuriatingly taunting voice she could muster.

Bianca thanked the universe and every god for her dark olive complexion, which faithfully never showed a blush even when her face was burning. “Suck my dick, Fame.”

Fame burst out into peals of gleeful laughter, and Bianca suppressed a very strong desire to strangle her.

There was, of course, no way Courtney could have known, but that song was the subject of a long-running debate and inside joke with Bianca and her friends. Years ago, a big group of them had gone to see a performance of the Kiss Me, Kate revival, and afterwards, Bianca adamantly declared that that song was “a terrifying stalker anthem that sets feminism back about 30 years.”

Raja had laughed, tacitly agreeing with her (and having more than one experience with stalker-like behavior), but Fame and Raven insisted she was wrong, that it was beautiful, the way you feel when someone is your whole world and nothing else matters.

“Exactly!” Bianca had bellowed. “How’s that fucking healthy? If that’s true love, count me the fuck OUT.”

But tonight…maybe Bianca was understanding the song for the first time. Maybe she just didn’t care anymore. All she knew for sure is that hearing Courtney sing those words didn’t fill her with disgust like they had years ago. They’d filled her with warmth, with light, with the kind of heart-bursting love than she never thought she’d have in a million years. And then of course she wanted to punch Fame and Patrick right in their smug faces. So at least she hadn’t lost her edge.

***

Bianca strode forward, taking in Courtney’s glowing face, holding her arms out and letting the blonde leap into them. She spun her around, squeezing her tightly, whispering, “You were fantastic, baby! I’m so fucking proud of you.”

Courtney’s lips found hers and pressed against her mouth in a long, steamy kiss. Tingles electrified Courtney’s whole body, thrilled by the idea of Bianca’s wine-colored lipstick branding her, smearing against her own rosy pink.

As they parted, Lucien added, “I’m proud of you too, kid, but I’m not gonna make out with you. Cool?”

Courtney laughed and accepted a kiss on the cheek. “Thanks, Lucien.”

“I’ll make out with you!” Adore piped up, grinning, and Bianca whipped around to give her a death stare.

“You were outstanding, Court. Seriously. I’m very excited for the two of us to take over the world.” Lucien grinned.

Bianca untangled Courtney from her arms and presented her with a large bouquet of red roses. “I know you usually like pink, but I figured that these would match your shoes, so…”

Courtney kissed her again, briefly. “Thank you, B. I love you so much.”

“I love you too, babydoll.” Bianca wound her arms around her waist, letting her turn around and accept hugs and kisses and congratulations from all of her friends.

They stood around chatting and laughing for awhile, and then began to gather their things to leave. Lucien said goodbye, promising to send the recordings to Michelle so they could continue to work on her technique.

Adore had convinced Alaska to go clubbing with their group, so as they were heading for the door, Adore turned around and waved, blowing Courtney kisses and calling, “Bye superstar! Have fun with the grownups!”

Courtney stuck her tongue out at Adore, then turned back to Bianca and her friends and grinned sheepishly, blushing a little.

Bianca chuckled and kissed her temple. “Sorry, baby. We promise not to talk about our back problems the whole time.”

“Speak for yourself!” Patrick exclaimed. “My pinched nerve is flaring up again, and it’s-”

“Patrick, stop,” Fame scolded.

“Hey, could be worse! My dad is having a really difficult time staying regular, even with probiotics and lots of prune juice,” Courtney added.

“How old is your dad?” Patrick asked.

“Mmm, probably about your age. Like 65.” Courtney fluttered her lashes mischievously.

“Ohh, okay, you got jokes now, huh?” Bianca gripped her waist tighter and bit her on the shoulder.

Courtney turned towards her with soft eyes. Maybe it was silly, but she always got a deep thrill when Bianca was physically affectionate with her in front of her friends. Especially because, if Adore was to be trusted, it was rare for Bianca to even let her friends meet the girls she was with. Courtney relaxed against her, savoring the feeling of Bianca’s arms wrapped protectively around her waist.

***

“What are you doing?” Alaska whispered into Adore’s tangled hair, as the girl grinding against her crotch on the dance floor, unsteady on her feet, hands wandering.

Adore lifted a head from her shoulder and looked at her with sleepy, lascivious eyes. “What do you mean?” she asked, a slight slur to her voice.

Alaska cupped her face with one hand, the other holding the small of her back. “Adore Delano, do not fuck with me.”

Giggling, Adore leaned forward and brushed her lips against Alaska’s ear, breathing, “Let’s get out of here.” She pulled back and tilted her head, licking her full, luscious mouth.

Alaska breathed in deeply, then nodded. “Okay…why the fuck not.” She laughed and let Adore lead her towards the club’s exit.

“Don’t do anything Tati wouldn’t do!” Morgan called after them, as Adore waved smugly to the other girls.  
  
***

“…and then De like, BUSTED through the door and looked at us all confused, like ‘wait, you really were just doing her hair?’”

Fame laughed gaily. “I had no idea that happened!”

“Oh yeah, he used to be a jealous fucking maniac. I stopped hanging out with Juju for like six months at one point, because he couldn’t get over this batshit idea that I was trying to fuck her all the time.”

Patrick chuckled and swirled his wine around. “I wonder what gave him that impression.”

Fame giggled. “Leave her alone, Patrick. She only seduces the willing.”

“Amen!” Bianca clinked glasses with Fame, grinning at the blonde, who was fluttering her eyelashes.

Courtney sat very still, paying attention to her breathing and trying not to let the flirtatious energy between Fame and Bianca affect her. Ever since she’d found out about their past, she couldn’t help…picturing it. It was driving her crazy. But she knew that if she said anything, she’d come off as petty and paranoid. So she was doing her very best to stay calm, her face impassive.

“Courtney,” Fame said, “Lucien told us that you’ve recorded 3 songs with him already. Are you enjoying the process?”

Courtney perked up a little. “Yeah, it’s been amazing! Only one of them is fully mixed. He’s a perfectionist, which makes it harder, but I think it’s better than way. Cause if I can impress him, then I know it’s actually decent. And-” She stopped talking abruptly. This was probably the most consecutive words she’d ever said in Fame’s presence, and suddenly she felt self conscious. They probably thought she was an idiot, babbling nonstop. “He’s been really supportive,” she finished quietly. She put a big bite of blackened tempeh into her mouth, trying to shut herself up.

Bianca reached over and squeezed her shoulder. “I knew he’d see your star potential, baby.”

Courtney smiled gratefully at her and then glanced back over at Fame, who was sipping her wine daintily, one eyebrow cocked. “Yes, Lucian certainly has an eye for talent. Well, good for you. I’m glad things are going well.”

Her words sounded sweet but somehow, to Courtney, they felt hollow. Still, she swallowed and nodded, saying. “Thank you. I really appreciate that. More than…more than I think you realize.”

Fame tilted her head and gave her another smile. “You’re very welcome, dear.”

Bianca snickered, shaking her head at Fame. “You love this way too much.”

“What?” Fame asked innocently.

“Waving your sceptre around, proclaiming your approval of the little people. She’s not your bitch anymore, give it a rest.” Bianca shoved her lightly.

“Oh, shut up, Bianca, I was being nice.” Fame shoved her back and laughed.

“You shut up!” Bianca poked her in the side and she let out a small yelp.

Courtney looked over at Patrick, wondering how he felt about all of this apparently typical flirting between his wife and her girlfriend. But he was impossible to read, simply sipping his wine and watching them with a wry smile. She gripped her fork tightly, resisting the urge to stab Fame’s perfect cool blue eyes.

And then Bianca looked over at her and smiled, dimples deep, and Courtney’s simmering anger melted in an instant. The light in Bianca’s eyes when she looked at her told her that she was the only one who mattered, and it filled her with warmth. Let Fame have her dumb pokes in the side and shoves on the shoulder…Courtney had Bianca’s heart.

***  
 ****“No! Are you kidding?! Saved by the Bell is so dumb and cheesy!” Adore cried, burying her face in Alaska’s shoulder.  
  
“Okay, so what did you like when you were a kid?”  
  
“CSI,” Adore replied easily.   
  
“What!? No, I mean like a LITTLE kid. Like second or third grade?”“Yeah, I watched it with my parents when I was in elementary school.” Adore rolled over, hand sliding up Alaska’s long, lean frame.  
  
“That is so disturbing.”  
  
“Mmm…god, you are so sexy.”  
  
Alaska blushed and giggled a little. “So…um, did you have fun tonight?”  
  
“Oh yeah.” Adore pressed her lips against Alaska’s collarbone, sucking a bruise into her skin.  
  
Alaska leaned her head back, closing her eyes, gripping Adore’s smooth shoulders. “How is your skin this soft? You are like a baby’s ass, all over.”  
  
“It’s my latin genes…and my refusal to participate in any form of exercise,” Adore laughed. “Keeps me soft like veal.”  
  
As Adore’s fingers rolled one of her nipples between them, Alaska moaned and arched up against her. “Fuck…me…”  
  
“Again? Well, alright…” Adore licked her, sucking on her nipples, delighted with the way she responded, moaning desperately.  
  
“Wait, Adore…oh GOD…” Alaska whimpered.   
  
Adore lifted her head from Alaska’s hip bone, which she’d been nibbling on while her thumb stroked her inner thigh teasingly. “What? You okay?”  
  
“Yeah, I just…stop for a minute. I mean…fuck…sorry.”  
  
“It’s okay. What’s wrong?”  
  
Alaska took a deep breath and raised herself up on her elbows. “The thing is, I really like you.”  
  
“I like you too. Okay, that was nice. Imma eat your pussy now, kay?” Adore started to lower her head again and Alaska gripped her head by the hair and pulled her back up.   
  
“Can we talk for like a MINUTE? Jesus.”  
  
“Ouch! Okay, sorry, fuck.” Adore rolled away, wrapping the covers around herself. “Talk away.”  
  
“Right. Okay, so, um…” Alaska scratched her head.  
  
“You need some time? Should I go order a pizza?”  
  
“No, just…I’m sorry, I…listen. I don’t really do this, like…hook up with people. The last person I was with, we were together for over ten years. I thought I was gonna marry her, and the breakup was really messy and awful and I barely got through it, but the only good part was…” She took a long, deep breath. “The only good part was, I have this friend who helped me through it. And she…”  
  
“Your crush girl?”  
  
“Yeah.”  
  
“Are you trying to tell me that you still like her?”  
  
“Um…yeah.” Alaska’s face was wracked with guilt.  
  
Adore bit the inside of her cheek to stop from laughing. “Lasky. Listen, you are fun and hot and you know, I like being with you, but I already knew that. This doesn’t have to be some dramatic, serious thing. We can just have a good time.”  
  
Breathing a sigh of relief, Alaska gave her a shy smile. “Really? I mean I know your last girlfriend cheated and really hurt you, and I-”  
  
“Yeah, and don’t worry, I learned my fucking lesson. Here’s the thing about me. I…am kind of an idiot about love. I fall in love at first sight. All the time. And then most of the time, I get my heart broken. But the good news is…love is always right around the corner.” She smiled brightly.  
  
Alaska shook her head. “You’re either the healthiest person I’ve ever met, or certifiably insane.”  
  
“My point is, I kind of like that you’re into someone else. It is going to force me to keep it light and fun and not get all…I don’t know. Me.”  
  
“Well. I mean, who knows what’ll happen with Jinkx. She’s been a little-”  
  
“Jinkx MONSOON?!”  
  
“Yes? You know her?”  
  
“Holy SHIT, dude!” Adore fell over laughing. “Yeah I fuckin’ know Jinkx. She’s been friends with my sister for like 20 years. Jinkx is CRAZY. I LOVE Jinkx!!”  
  
“I…well…fuck.”“Yeah. So now that I know you like crazy messes, we’re gonna get along just fine! Now, can I eat your pussy, or do you want to talk about your feelings some more?”  
  
Alaska made a face at her. “You make me feel so special!”  
  
“Oh, you wanna feel special?” Adore crawled back over to her and started to kiss up her inner thigh.  
  
“Ohhh, fuck…yes!” Alaska moaned, thrusting upwards, guiding Adore’s head higher and higher.  
  
Adore licked her slowly, fingers trailing up and down her thighs. Alaska writhed and arched and pulled hard on her hair. Adore paused and looked up at her, a devious smirk on her face. “By the way…Jinkx doesn’t do this. She’s very selfish in bed. Or so I’ve heard.”  
  
Alaska groaned and shoved her face down. “Shut up and finish,” she panted.  
  
“Yes ma’am,” Adore replied, brushing her lips against Alaska’s clit, causing a deep guttural moan as she gripped onto her hair for dear life. Adore smiled against her wet skin, working her into a frenzy, relishing her uncontrollable moaning.  
  
Alaska could feel her body getting heavier and heavier, pressure building inside of her until she exploded, becoming a million tiny particles floating through space.  
  
Adore gripped Alaska’s thighs as she came, rooting her to the bed, holding her down and licking her clean as she panted and thrashed violently, sweat glistening on her skin.  
  
She took one final gasp and fell backwards limply, heart hammering in her throat. For several long moments, while Adore crawled up her body to curl up beside her, she said nothing. Then, as she wrapped her long slender limbs around Adore, she breathed, “Fuuuuuuuck.”  
  
Adore giggled and laced their fingers together, nibbling on her hand. Alaska rubbed her back with the other hand, feeling guilty about the deep scratch marks on her neck and shoulders.   
  
“I’m sorry about my nails,” she apologized.  
  
Adore could already feel her eyes getting heavy, comforted by the warmth of Alaska’s body pressed against her back. “S’okay…” she murmured.  
  
Alaska ran a hand through Adore’s fading blue hair and kissed her shoulder gently. “Goodnight, Adore.”  
  
“Niiight.”  
  
***  
“Excuse me, Violet, do you dislike working here?”  
  
Betty didn’t even notice Miss Fame entering the department until the unmistakable voice spoke to Violet, coldly. Betty looked up from the beads she has been sewing in for the last two hours, a thankless job that made her hands numb. Fame was hovering over Violet’s desk, the younger woman thrown off by her boss’s words.  
  
“I love working here.”  
  
“Then why are you acting like some insecure teenager? Have I not been kind to you?”  
  
“You have, Miss.” Violet looked down, humbled like a school girl, but Fame didn’t stop. Betty abandoned her needle and beads; she couldn’t afford to miss one word of this exchange.  
  
“Then please explain to me how you’re not capable of doing something as simple as turning in a sketch before deadline. I know you’re not stupid.”  
  
Violet kept quiet, which to Betty seemed like a smart move, but it looked like it hadn’t worked.  
  
“Don’t sass me. Violet. Do you know what this behaviour could do to your career? You’re not very remarkable, believe me. You’re talented, but not special. You have taste, but you’re not original. You’re good, but no genius. You’re here by my mercy, and I want you to think long and hard about whether or not you want to continue working at this company. I have no room for slackers.”  
  
“Yes, Miss.”  
  
“Good. I’ll see you at Grace’s christening, now get to work.” Fame turned and left, not gracing anybody else in the department with as much as a look.  
  
Violet nodded and went right back to work, looking like she was completely untouched by Fame’s words, but Betty could see that Violet’s hands where shaking as she once again picked up her pencil. Betty got up, torn by mixed feelings: on one hand, she knew Violet didn’t turn in the sketches just because she was busy being heartbroken, on the other hand, the opportunity to make fun of Violet a little was too good to pass up on.  
  
“Hey miss Talented-but-not Special, wanna go to lunch? Or are you busy having timeout in a corner?”“If you’re going to make fun of me, I’m not going anywhere with you.” Violet stood up, gently smoothing down her skirt. “Did you think of that joke yourself or did you have help?”  
  
“Of course I did it myself, and I thought it was perfect.”  
  
“I can always count of you to come through Bets.”

***

“I fucked your friend Alaska.”

Courtney coughed, choking on her wheatgrass juice. “Wait, what? And you didn’t think you needed a lead-in there?”

“Sorry. Omigod, your show was great. And I loved you hair; it’s so cute that my sister has the little doll she always wanted. I fucked Alaska last night.”

Courtney laughed, wiping the juice that had spilled down her chin. “That’s…sweet? So was it a one time thing, or are you, like, a couple now?”

“Ummm…I think maybe…we’ll see? We’re keeping it casual. She’s super cool though.”

“Awww, see, now you can’t make fun of me about the age difference with B.“

“Whaaat? Alaska’s like a few years older than us.”

“She’s 35.”

Adore rolled her eyes. “Whatever. At least her age doesn’t have a 4 in front of it.”

Courtney laughed. “I’m just glad you guys are having a good time. I love you both so much.” She wrapped her arms around Adore and hugged her tightly.

“Thanks, babe.”

***

“Baby, can you help me reach, I really want a pine cone and cinnamon candl-  What’s that?” Katya looked at the drink in Trixie’s hand, the red bottle looking like some kind of weird diet product, but she couldn’t believe that. They had met up at Bed, Bath and Beyond, Katya’s nose hypersensitive to uncomfortable smells so here they were, ready to drown out everything but the artificial smell of candles.

“Slimfit.” Trixie wasn’t meeting Katya’s eyes, which made her even more suspicious.

“I’ve never seen you drink that before?”

“I’ve totally had it before. It’s super delicious.”

“Uh, can I taste?” Katya smiled brightly, reaching out for the bottle, but Trixie pushed her away, panic clear in his eyes.

“NO!”

“No?” Katya raised an eyebrow, surprised at Trixie’s violent reaction.

“No… Because…. Strawberry is bad for babies… Yes. It’s very, very bad for babies.” Katya grabbed Trixie’s arm, her nails digging into his soft upper arms as she dragged him off into a corner of the shop.

“Ow ow ow! What are you doing?!”

“That’s such a lie and you know it!” Katya knew Trixie could easily escape, the fact that she was smaller than him in every way and heavily pregnant not shaking her confidence at all.

“Okay, fine!” Trixie threw his hands up. “It’s a meal supplement.”

“What? Why? Why?”

“To stop hunger feelings. It says so on the label.”

“Why would you ever do that?” Katya’s hands where on Trixie’s hips, her thumbs gently running back and forth, caressing her future husband, petting him and calming him down.

“It has come to my attention that I might have… packed on a few pounds following along you with your… pregnancy cravings, so I’m trying to cut back and make a lifestyle change.” Trixie scratched his head, beyond uncomfortable.

“But you love jalapeno poppers and eggnog! And what about those pickles we had the other day on the chocolate ice cream? You had the sweetest little smile and your double chin was so cute.” Katya knew her voice was whiny, but she didn’t care, she didn’t care at all. She /loved/ Trixie just the way he was.

“Are you serious?”

“When have I ever not loved your body? I love how soft you are, and how massive you feel, I love your belly and your arms and how nice they are to sleep on.” Katya leaned in, her breath hot against Trixie’s ear, her teeth quickly catching his earlobe in a bite before she whispered, “And I love how your ass jiggle when I spank you until you cry.”

Trixie was blushing, his face burning hot, his trousers uncomfortably tight, and not just because he had snuck four slices of one dollar pizza before he had met up with Katya.

“What would you say, if I said I needed a big, strooong, fantastic man to get me my pine cone and cinnamon candle, some new fluffy towels in light blue and a new tube of strawberry lube from the pharmacy around the corner since I’m craving the flavour and that he’ll then carry everything home?”

“Meet you at the car in 10 minutes.”

“I can’t wait.”

***

“Come on.”

“No.” Violet was covering her face as she was laughing. Her and Sutan were in Central Park by the Bethesda fountain, Violet sitting on the edge of it with a waffle in her hand, the sun slowly coming down in the background. “I’m serious.”

“Please.”

“Do you promise?”

“I promise.”

Violet smiled and removed her hand slowly, her eyes finding Sutan who was watching her like a cat, a smirk playing in the corner of his mouth, his phone out. Sutan had gone to throw his ice cream out, quickly finishing his three scoops while Violet was still nipping at her one scoop of raspberry sorbet.

The two had met up near Violet’s work, Sutan having totally forgotten to give Violet the pencil case he had found the day they had stopped fighting. Violet had looked at him, a strange expression in her eyes, like she was equal parts hurt, confused and suspicious, but then she had smiled, her face changing like when the clouds parted to make room for the sun. Her lips had met Sutans in a close-mouthed kiss, a gentle ‘thank you’ whispered into his ear. One thing had lead to another, and all of a sudden the two had spend hours upon hours in the park, walking around, their hands intertwined, Violet quietly comparing every pug to Frida, Sutan always agreeing that Frida was indeed the cutest. They had sat down on benches to watch the birds, they had thrown rocks into the lake and eaten pitas with falafel and hummus, Violet nearly choking on her water in a fit of laughter when lettuce got stuck in Sutan’s teeth, the kisses they shared afterwards full of smiles and new memories.

“That wasn’t so bad now, was it?”

“Says you. Are the passwords on your phone up to date?”

“Of course they are. Every three months. I told you, you don’t have to worry. Everything is okay.”

Violet moved a little, making space so Sutan could sit down beside her, the man flipping through the photos he had just taken of her, showing them to her. Violet pulled on Sutan’s sleeve, the man’s arm going around her so she could settle in, her head on his shoulder.

“I like that one.” Violet pointed to the screen, her finger quickly tapping the favorite button.

“It’s worthy of a model.”

She knew it probably wasn’t a smart move to have allowed Sutan to take pictures of her entire body, but she didn’t care, not right now, not when he had times and times again showed that he could be trusted to respect her wishes about not ending up online, Sutan showing her that he was indeed worthy of her trust when he snapped a quick picture of the sun, Violet willing to bet that it would go up on his Instagram within the hour.

“Ha ha, very funny.” Violet smiled, enjoying their knees knocking together, the warmth of Sutan’s hand on her hip, the smell of his cologne, not catching sight of Sutan’s face, the same expression of bewilderment there as he had had in Paris when Violet had laughed at him.

“Vio-”

“Do you want the rest?” Violet held out her ice cream to Sutan, not even realising she had just cut him off.

“Sure, thank you.”

Violet smiled, their lips meeting in a quick kiss.


	34. Chapter 34

Sutan smiled as he opened the door to the familiar face of his best friend Karl, a case of beer in his hand.

“Hey man! Come on in.”

The two hugged, Sutan so happy that Karl had come back to New York so soon after their last meeting.

“Raja is swinging by too, I hope that’s cool. She’s not home right now since she went to see Juju and Grace with Raven this morning. They’re working on the christening, or “sip & see” was the last official title I heard for it.”

“Raven is taking the godmother thing pretty seriously.” Karl said as he set the case of beer down to take off his shoes, knowing how anal Sutan could be about the floors in his home.

“She really is. Are you coming?”

“I don’t think I have a choice. Rujubee already threatened me with great bodily harm if I didn’t show up for both the christening and the baby viewing.”

Sutan laughed. He knew all too well how Raven and Juju, lovingly nicknamed Rujubee by the group, could get whenever they were together.

“You know they’ll do it,” he said grabbing the case of beers and walking further into his home followed by Karl.

“They’re insane,” Karl mumbled as he shook his head with a smile. “But you can’t help but love them.”

“The friendship version of Romeo and Juliet, which I’m sure will one day end with all of us trapped in a broken down bus somewhere in the middle of nowhere because Rujubee had “a brilliant idea.” Sutan added as he walked into the kitchen and put the new case of beers in the fridge, handing Karl one that was already cold.

"Thanks for the beers by the way.”

“No problem.”

“I meant to get some when I was out the other day getting dog food, but I totally forgot.” He said as he leaned on the counter, enjoying the first few sips of the cold drink.

“You know, I was about to ask you about that,” Karl started. “I was looking around and I was thinking to myself ‘why does Sutan have dog stuff in his apartment?’ Did Raven finally convince you into getting a dog for her that lives here with you so Raja doesn’t go mad? Are you dog sitting for Fame, because she didn’t tell me she was traveling the last time we spoke?” Karl asked Sutan before taking a sip of his own beer.

“I’m not allowed to have miniature horses in this apartment.”

“Ha ha ha, Mr. Amrull. I know Charles is a great Dane, but he’s not that big.”

“Tell that to the children he terrified in Central Park last year.”

“Sutan!” Both men turned to watch the door as a woman’s voice called through the apartment.

“We’re in the kitchen, Pu!”

“Is it my tall glass of Thai iced tea that I hear thundering down the halls?” Greeted Karl as he saw Raja round the corner and come into view.

“Fuck you, Karl.”

“Is Karl back here?!”

“Not for much longer if he calls us Thai again.”

“I’m sorry, man.”

“Who cares about that when my favorite Eurasian sensation is back in town,” squealed Raja as she ran to give Karl a big hug. The Filipino male was like the little brother Raja never had, Sutan always fighting back whenever she had tried to actually treat him like one. Karl fit in their little family as the brother that was always away at school, and whom she only saw when he came home for the holidays, making a short pit stop before he disappeared out into the world again.

“It’s so good to see you again! What are you doing here, hanging out with this loser?” Raja asked with a smile as she came to stand in front of Karl.

“I’m getting my charity visits to the old and shut in out of the way first so I can have actual fun later,” Karl drawled out causing Raja to laugh and Sutan to roll his eyes at Karl’s sass.

“How kind of you to visit my darling brother,” Raja said sweetly before turning to address the man in question. “Before I forget, Raven wants you to buy 3 cases of champagne and one case of beer for the christening.”

"Why do I have to buy it?” Sutan questioned, draping himself on Raja’s shoulders to rest his chin on her shoulder.

“Everyone is pitching in. You and Detox are going to be in charge of making sure the bar and food is stocked.” Raja said to her brother scratching at his stubble on his cheek lightly, with her gaze focused on Karl.

“Well good luck with that, mate. Detox can’t cook for shit,” Karl stated. “Remember when he almost burnt the house down trying to microwave leftover Chinese?”

“Yes! Thank God for homeowners insurance.” Karl rolled his eyes. The twins had talked in perfect unison with matching expression and it always creeped him out.

“Well since you made such a convincing case, Karl, you’ll go on food duty with Sutan and Detox can be cameraman for the day instead.”  Raja smiled, whipping out her phone to send a text to Jujubee and Raven .

"What?” Karl said, bewildered at the change of plans that now seemed to involve him. “I didn’t sign up for anything.”

“Jujubee says thank you for volunteering to help out, and that she can’t wait to see you, along with 3 heart eye emojis.”

“Fiiiiiiiine.” Karl sighed deeply, knowing that there was no way he was getting out of his new role, so he just gave up without a fight.

“Tell Juju that I’ll be there and keep an eye on the food if she promises to pencil me in to get my hair done before I leave again.” Karl said as he watched Sutan watch Raja send a quick text to Jujubee.

“Done! I’ve been walking around with Rave, Juju and the kids all day and I could really use a drink.“ Raja smiled sweetly, but Sutan didn’t fall for it.

"Well you know where the booze is. There’s an open bottle of white wine in the fridge too if you want some.” Sutan said as he got off his sister.

“Thanks babe,” Raja replied as she tapped him lightly on the nose. “Just go sit, I’ll be there in a minute or two. I need to make a quick call to the florist to finalize the centerpieces Juju wants for the party.”

“Is this a party or a baby shower? What baby needs a centerpiece?” Asked Karl with a perplexed expression.

“I think you’re forgetting who the party organizers are, dear Mr. Westerberg.”

“Exactly. It’s a Jujubee and Raven event, of course there’ll be a full flower centerpiece.” Raja said flatly before grabbing a beer stein from one of the cabinets. “You should just be happy that I was able to talk them out of hiring a fire breather or getting an actual venue.”

“I will totally accept that.” Karl replied with a nod, the two men leaving the kitchen together.

***

The afternoon progressed in typical fashion as it always did whenever anyone came to one of the twins’ apartments. Karl was stretched out on one end of Sutan’s L-shaped couch, Raja resting on the chaise part while Sutan was relaxing on the loveseat, all of them drunk. The three friends were playing Call of Duty, waiting for the pizza and wings that Sutan had ordered earlier in the night.

“So you never told me why you have all that dog shit lying around?” Karl gestured around the large and bright living room, pointing out the scattered dog toys on the floor.

“Oh, yes.” Sutan started as he took a sip of his rum and coke. “They’re Frida’s.”

“Who the fuck is Frida?”

“It’s my girlfriend Violet’s pug puppy.” He said simply. “YES! Headshot, eat it asshole!”

“The gold digger?” Karl asked flatly, opting out of another round of his game, slowly stirring his drink around with his straw. “Why are you still with her?”

“.. Because I like her?”

“Ah, of course. Wait, wait. Don’t tell me, you bought her the dog too?”

“What if I did?”

“I told you Sutan, she’s just using you for your money.”

“I know you think so, and we took a break because of that, so thanks bro.” Sutan started explaining, but then he was hit in the chest with a coaster. "Ow!” Sutan picked up the projectile his sister had just thrown at him.

“What the fuck, Raj?” Sutan exclaimed right before Karl was hit with another coaster sent flying by Raja.

“Ow! What did I do?” Karl said as he rubbed his chest.

"What do you mean you ‘break’’?” Raja’s voice was silky sweet, but her eyes were cold as steel.

“It means that I asked for a break, and then we got back together again. It was just a slight misunderstandin-” Sutan didn’t get to finish his sentence before another coaster hit him right above his pelvis. "Stop throwing these fucking coasters at me! Raja, you’re 41.”

“So are you, asshole!”

Sutan rubbed his stomach, clearly very annoyed with his sister. “It wasn’t even that long, only a week or so, and you don’t need to give me a lecture. Her friend Betty has already paid me a visit.”

"Well remind me to send Betty a bottle of my best champagne and a thank you note,” Raja said sweetly, her mouth transforming from a smile into a snarl. “But know that her wrath will have nothing on what I’m about to unleash on you.”

“You hate Betty,” Sutan knew it was a long shot, but if he could distract Raja from going after him, he was absolutely going to give it a shot.

“What made you think I hate her?” Raja said evenly.

“She broke Violet’s leg? And you’re always bullying her, if her reaction when we went to see Bach Street Boys is anything to go by.”

“It’s unfortunate that Violet was injured, and I’m still angry with myself that something like that could even happen on my set in the first place, but I’m not one to hold a grudge.”

“That’s a fucking lie.”

“Maybe, but all of this is besides the point, don’t you dare try to distract me, Sutan Amrull.” Raja pointed at her brother. “Spill the beans, what reason could you possibly have to break up with Violet? Did you hit your head?”

"Oh my God, Raja, shut up, he’s a grown man and he can date or not date whoever he wants,” Karl started, rolling his eyes at the woman’s dramatics. “I mean, I think it’s stupid but they got back together anyway and it’s his choice, so what’s the big deal?”

"Karl, my darling, my dearest sweetheart. You’re awfully invested in this.” Raja turned her head sharply to face Karl, her long ponytail braid whipping with the motion. “What is your issue with her?”

“Nothing.”

“No, you’re not getting off the hook that easily. Let’s see…” Raja took a sip of her drink, the two men watching her, knowing she was recharging to lash out again. She asked sweetly. “The last time you saw Violet was at Fame’s Christmas party, right?”

“Sure.”

“Did she insult you in some way, I mean, she has to have done something for you to be so interested in her and Sutan’s business.”

“She didn’t do anything.”

“Oh?”

"I’m just concerned for my friend. From what I’ve heard from Sutan, and seen too, she’s obviously a gold digger.” Karl said. “And as his best friend, I’m being honest with him. As someone who sees them on a daily basis, you have to have noticed it too.” He finished, crossing his arms and raising a brow. “I’m just calling it as I see it..”

“I think I’ll send you both to an ophthalmologist, since you’re both obviously blind.”

"What do you mean by that, Raja? I know what I saw and that was a young woman who saw a man with money and fame.”

Raja settled back in her little nest of pillows. "Oh Karl, if that was truly the case, wouldn’t that just be an instance of the pot calling the kettle black?” She asked as she inspected her nails, clearly bored with Karl’s yapping. “If we are going to talk about people and their alleged faults, I think we should go all the way,” Raja said easily, as she peered over at Karl. “We’re all family here, right?.”

“You know what, you’re being really fucking petty right now, Raja.” Sutan interjected for his friend. “Stop bullying Karl.”

“Shut up, Sutan,” Raja replied sharply. “Karl set himself up for this, just like you have set yourself up for your turn.” Raja said easily. “Now Karl, if you think Violet is a gold digger, what do you think of Raven?” Raja asked him.

“This has nothing to do with Raven.”

“Oh, I think it does. For all intended purposes, you and Raven are the epitome of a gold diggers, or is the polite term sugar baby these days?”

“Sugar babies have arrangements, gold diggers get married.”

“Thanks Sutan, but I didn’t ask you.”

Sutan threw his hands up, Raja barely noticing him as she was too concentrated on Karl.

“I have never known you to /ever/ talk to a guy that didn’t buy you whatever you little heart desired.”

“So? I like a man that takes care of me.”

“You have never been in a relationship where money was not a deciding factor.”

“What about Sahara?”

“Sahara is your only relationship that has lasted more than 5 months and he catered to your ever wish and whim.”

“Raja, don’t speak ill of the dead.”

“I’m stating facts, Sutan.”

“Yes, and why are we even talking about me? This is all about Violet and Sutan.” Karl interjected.

“Thanks man.”

“You’re welcome.”

Sutan smiled, even though he knew Raja’s attention would be turned to him, which it instantly did.

"Don’t interrupt me,” Raja began. “You made it a thing by projecting your habits and proclivities onto Violet, who is a saint compared to you and Raven.” She continued as she took a sip of her drink. “So please enlighten me on how you became the "anti-gold digger chairman” when you are the main culprit.”

"I’m not a fucking gold digger,” Karl snarled out. “And even if I was, I was young and I wasn’t settled down in my career.”

"But it does, Karl! You were around Violet’s age when we met, and if a guy didn’t have a big dick and an even bigger bank account, he wasn’t on your radar at all.” Raja said simply. “Violet is nothing like that. In all the time I’ve known and studied her, I’ve never gotten the inclination that Violet was anything but practical, and more importantly not a gold digger.” Raja continued before turning her head back to her brother.

“It’s not like I’ve never given her anything.”

“But did she ask for any of it? What about shopping for the Aspen trip? What about the dress you bought her for Fame’s Christmas party? What about the Chanel bag you bought her when she got promoted to design? Or the blue dress you got for her? Did she ask for any of that?”

“… No.”

“What about her hospital fees after you forced her to go to a different hospital, the Christmas gift you gave her or even little Frida?”

Karl was speechless. It felt like he didn’t know Sutan at all. Had his friend really given that many gifts, and without being asked for any of them?

“So who is really the gold digger here, you asshat? Because I can promise you it’s not Violet. Did she ask you to do any of that for her, Sutan? Did she ask you to go to Aspen with us? Did she ask for a puppy? Did she ask for you to help her with her student loans?” Raja asked her brother angrily as she looked at his dour expression. “All she wanted was to be treated fairly, especially after the first break up I helped you with!”

“I get it, Raja, I fucked up, but it’s fixed now.”

"Like I understand that you need space, I’ve known you my entire life and then some,” Raja said while looking up at the ceiling. “But you can’t treat her the way we used to treat people back in the day. Don’t you think she deserves better than that?”

“I do, it’s just hard to break out of old habits.” Sutan sighed. “I know now she’s not after my money or my title, but it’s just that nagging in the back of my head that she wants something from me.”

“Have you ever considered all she wants from you is affection and attention?” Raja asked dryly. “She’s a good girl, Sutan, and you almost fucked up royally.” She said as she got up from her spot on the sofa. “What if she hadn’t wanted you back?”

“I know, Raj.”

“Because if you don’t do right by Violet and get it the fuck together, now and in the future,” Raja started before finishing her drink and setting the empty glass on the low end table. “I promise you I will take her from you. Old school style”

“You wouldn’t dare,” Sutan said narrowing his eyes as he watched his sister let her hair down from her high-braided ponytail. He wasn’t proud of it, but Raja had stolen many a date from him through the ages, his twin a master at stealing girls away from him.

“What about Raven?” Karl asked as he watched Raja shake her head, her hair hanging around her shoulders and down her back.

“You say that as if she would really have a problem with it, Karl,” Raja replied, looking over her shoulder to flash him a smile that turned vicious. “This is Raven we’re talking about.”

“I don’t believe you,” Sutan growled out, knowing his sister was saying it to get under his skin.

Raja turned her head to look at her brother again, “Would you care to test that theory, little brother?” Sutan said nothing at Raja’s goading, causing her to laugh lightly. “I thought so.” She said with a knowing smirk.

“Where in the hell are you going?” Karl asked as he watched Raja saunter in the direction of the front door.

“I’m going to do my nails,” Raja said simply. “You guys have risen my blood pressure enough for today.” And with that, Raja walked out Sutan’s condo unfazed and unbothered.

“Your sister is a bitch.”

“I won’t admit it, but I’ll silently agree, my friend.”

***

****

“They’re coming! Everybody hide!”

Pearl smiled brightly as she hid behind the couch, Laila awkwardly crouching next to her.

“Won’t they know we’re home by the lig-”

“Ssssh.” Pearl quickly covered Laila’s mouth with her hand, the sound of keys in the door and shoes getting dropped indicating that their guests had arrived.

“Hey, where is everyo-”

“SURPRISE!!”

“Aaaaaaaaah!!!”

***

“You looked like you were going to pee your pants!”

“But I didn’t, and even if I had I’m excused, I’m nearly 8 months pregnant. I’m growing a human baby, I can’t be responsible for the actions of my body.”

Pearl smiled brightly and laughed. Everyone was sitting around the table, Trixie, Katya, Violet, Max and Laila all working on decorating the doughnuts Laila had bought for Trixie and Katya’s bachelor and bachelorette party. The roommates had held a super secret meeting in Max’s room, all of them hiding behind his bed as they discussed what they were going to do to surprise the couple. Violet had suggested a traditional party, but Pearl had quickly dismissed it, knowing that neither Trixie or Katya were big on parties these days, Katya’s belly taking away most of her good mood if she was more than 10 feet away from the nearest clean bathroom, Trixie so hypersensitive to his fiancee’s needs that the night would have sucked. Max had suggested a trip to the zoo, but the same problem had presented itself at this idea, even though it had seals in it, so that did make it slightly better. But then, Pearl had the ultimate idea: a night in with everyone, the perfect solution to the problem.

“Your doughnut looks… sad, Vivi.”

“I’m not an artist.”

“Seriously?” Trixie smiled and took the doughnut Violet had covered in pink glaze from her, helping her with fixing it. “I’ve seen you hand-make a dress so delicate I wanted to cry.”

“That was beads, thread, pearls and actual materials, not sugar and sprinkles.”

“It looks fine.” Katya took the doughnut from Trixie’s hand and took a big bite of it, Violet and Katya laughing as Trixie looked like he had been betrayed.

The night went absolutely according to plan, the pizzas arriving at just the right moment, Katya and Trixie overjoyed at the special mega edition of Disney Trivial Pursuit Max had found at a bookstore downtown, and Katya almost cried with joy before bed when Violet showed them the album of photos her and Pearl had made, Trixie actually sobbing as he held his best friend and best man, Pearl petting his back and telling him that nights like that is what you did for a friend.

***

Betty walked into the bedroom, setting her laptop on the bedding with unusual care. Shane looked up from his notebook to see his girlfriend in visible distress, her hair in a messy cloud around her head, panic in her eyes. “Please help me. I’m literally dying out here.”

“What is it, babe?”

“I think I just broke my fucking computer, and I have to send in the digital version of my designs tonight. And tonight means in two hours. Oh God, this is a travesty.”

“Oh, come on, it can’t be that bad.” Shane pulled Betty’s laptop closer to see what the problem was. “Do you have the designs saved anywhere? Did you email them to yourself?” He asked, although he already anticipated what the answer was going to be.

“No.”

“I told you to always, always backup important stuff. I don’t know if I’ll be able to bring your relict of a computer back to life.”

“Ugh, can you please stop being condescending and do your nerdy magic? I’ll be better about saving next time, I promise.”

“Yeah, yeah, you say that every time, you might as well stop trying.” Some things just weren’t meant to change and Shane learned to live with that. “Instead, can you get me some coffee? Your tech wizard needs some caffeine fuel.”

“Coming right up.” Betty kissed the top of Shane’s head before making her way to the kitchen. “Please make this work or Trixie will fry me alive. You have my full trust, so don’t fuck this up.”

***

ADORE: OMW…have you left yet?

COURTNEY: Sorry, running late! Leaving in 2 min.

Courtney stepped into her shoes and emerged from Bianca’s walk-in closet. Bianca sat on the bed, typing on her laptop. She looked up and smiled, dimples deep in her cheeks. “Damn, baby.”

“You like this?” Courtney twirled slowly, tossing Bianca a sultry look over her shoulder.

“Come here.” Bianca closed her computer and set it aside.

Courtney stepped up to the bed, letting Bianca take her hand and kiss the inside of her wrist. Her eyes fluttered closed and suddenly hands were on her waist, lips pressed to the taut muscles of her bare midriff. Warm breath against her skin made her break out in goosebumps. “B… I’m gonna be late…” she protested weakly as Bianca pulled her onto the bed. A tongue ran along the shell of her ear.

“She can wait,” Bianca whispered to her, sucking on her pulse point. She slid her hands up Courtney’s torso, under her top, thumbs teasing her nipples as she pressed her down into the soft mattress.   
Courtney tried to respond but it came out as an incoherent sigh. She arched into the pleasure, her worries falling away, anxiety dissipating like soap bubbles. “Mmmmm…”

Bianca unzipped her skirt and slid it down, biting softly on her hip bone. She smiled as Courtney wrapped her legs around her shoulders, trembling already. “You want me to stop, honey? Still worried about being late?”

Whimpering, Courtney lifted her hips, thrusting up into Bianca’s open mouth. As Bianca’s tongue found her, she let out a long, desperate moan.

ADORE: Here.

ADORE: How far away are you?

ADORE: Hello?

ADORE: I’m talking to you bitch!

ADORE: Are you ditching me?

ADORE: HELLO?????

ADORE: I’m getting freaked out, you’re not answering. I’m calling B.

ADORE: Either you are both dead or you’re fucking right now.

ADORE: COURTNEY!!!!!!!!

COURTNEY: OMG SORRY

ADORE: You’re a cunt

COURTNEY: I’M REALLY SORRY!! I’M LEAVING NOW!

ADORE: WTF happened?

COURTNEY: Um

ADORE: You fuckin slut.

COURTNEY: Hehe

ADORE: You are buying drinks all night.

COURTNEY: Isn’t it B’s money either way?

ADORE: Well yeah but my allowance has a limit. ;P

COURTNEY: lol

ADORE: Are you gonna be all gross and happy and glow-y?

COURTNEY: Sorry! Hehehe

ADORE: Boo, you whore.

***

“Sit!”

Violet smiled brightly as Frida sat down on the grass, her little tail wagging away, her eyes glued to the slightly damp and slimy tennis ball in Violet’s hand.

“Are you ready?”

Violet watched her dog, waiting until Frida was completely still before she threw the ball, and Frida was off like a lightning bolt, making Violet laugh in delight.

“You look so happy around her.”

Violet turned around to see Sutan coming towards her, a cup of tea and a cup of coffee in his hand.

“I am happy, very happy.” Violet took the cup Sutan gave to her, the girl gently blowing on the tea to test how hot it was, the sweet aroma hitting her nose. “You got me peach?”

“It’s your favorite, isn’t it?”

“It is… Thank you.” Violet didn’t get to say anymore as Frida came running back, her little legs barely carrying her as she bulldozed through the grass in the park, so eager to make it back to her mommy that she dropped her ball a few times and had to go back to get it. Violet crouched down, Frida happily depositing her treasure into Violet’s hand.

“Good girl! Good girl, that’s my good girl!” Sutan couldn’t help but chuckle since the ball had dark patches of drool on it, but Violet didn’t seem like it bothered her at all, the two repeating the ritual from earlier, Frida all too soon off again as she ran through the empty park. Sutan hadn’t expected Violet to let Frida of her leash since she was still so small, her training not completed yet, but when they got to their usual park just around the corner from Sutan’s apartment, the park had been basically empty, not a single dog in sight, so Violet had carefully unclicked Frida, the dog nearly vibrating with excitement when Violet had produced a bright green tennis ball from her purse.

“You never told me what the deal is with you and pugs.”

“You never asked.” Violet took a sip of her tea, her eyes meeting Sutan’s over the rim of her cup, and Sutan laughed, his hand going around her waist as they both watched Frida who was searching underneath a bush.

“Well, what if I ask?”

“Promise not to laugh?”

“I promise.” Sutan pulled Violet a little tighter, the fact that they could stand like this together, the he could hold Violet close something he now considered a luxury, something to treasure and cherish.

“A pug was my first real friend.”

“Really?” Sutan raised an eyebrow, not truly believing what Violet was telling him.

“You promised you wouldn’t laugh, and yes, yes he was… I didn’t have any siblings growing up, or… I kinda did, but it wasn’t… His name was Benjamin, and he was my best friend for 7 years. I told him everything, everything I couldn’t tell anyone else, and it.. I know it’s stupid, and I know Frida will never be Benjamin, I’m not stupid, I know no pug is the same but there’s just something about the breed… Their little smiley faces, their soft fur and how much they love you… I just.. It sounds insane, I swear to you, that dog saved my live.” Violet looked up at Sutan, searching his face for any signs that he thought she was crazy, that he didn’t want to see her anymore, but she found nothing like that there, only kind eyes and a small smile.

“I’m glad you met him then.” Sutan kissed Violet’s temple, a small smile on his lips as he got to breathe in the sweet scent of her lavender shampoo.

***

It was a bright early morning and Raven woke up in bed alone. It wasn’t odd that Raja was already up and out of bed, but it was strange that Raven hadn’t woken up when the older woman got out of bed. “Raja?” Raven called out, still nestled in her plush white and gold comforter. “I guess she left…” Raven said to herself softly before she got out of bed.

*/Driving slow on Sunday morning, and I never want to leave!/* Raven’s phone rang causing her to smile when she looked over to see one of her favorite pictures of Raja pop up on her screen.

“So I woke up this morning, and you weren’t there.” Raven said in greeting to Raja before she walked into their bathroom.

Raja snorted. She looked over her desk that was littered with a mix of status reports, fabric swatches and makeup. “Good morning to you too, my turtledove,” she replied softly as she took a sip of her coffee while she turned in her office chair to look out the window in the general direction of her home. “I trust you slept well?”

Raven smiled and rolled her eyes. She put the phone down, making sure that it was on speaker so Raja could still hear her.

“I did in fact,” Raven said as she washed her face. “The new comforter set was fantastic, so soft. I’m thinking about getting a set for Sutan as well as one for your mother.” She continued as she poured a little bit of coconut oil on her hand before applying it to her face and neck. “Do you think they’ll like it?”

“Mani loves anything you give her,” Raja said with a smile, knowing Raven would fret over not knowing if her mother-in-law liked her gift or not if didn’t reassure her fiancée that her idea was good. “And Sutan is grateful for anything he doesn’t have to go out and buy it himself. You’d think a 41-year-old man would have an opinion on the things in his home, but you know how he is.” She continued as she got up from her desk to stretch out the couch. “I apologize for not being there when you woke up, I had some deadlines coming up and I needed to come into the office to work.”

“This early?” Raven poked her lips out in a pout as she applied a few coats of mascara to her lashes, even though Raja couldn’t see her. “It sucks,“ she said. “I was hoping I could get your help with filming today.” Raven continued as she put on several coats of her favorite nude lip gloss.

“What are you filming, princess?” Raja asked as she kicked off her heels.

“The girls and I are working with Refinery29 and their YouTube channel, to like… bring runway style to the everyday woman.” Raven started as she pulled her hair into a messy bun before she went through her the makeup stash she had in the bathroom, her real collection stashed away in their closet. “My role is to search for swimwear and summer/winter transitional pieces from the runway and find affordable dupes.” She continued as she quickly did a sharp winged liner on both of her eyes. “It’s fun seeing the more affordable options that are out there for people to choose from!” Raven finished with a smile as she looked over her quick winged liners work.

“Oh, that does sounds like a lot of fun,” Raja said with a fond smile. “And your winged liner is fine.”

Raven cut her eyes to look at her phone, pausing from her search for a small definer brush. “How did you know I was did my winged liner?”

“I didn’t,” Raja said with a laugh, “but thank you for telling me that I guessed right.” She said with a smile as she saw that Raven was calling her on FaceTime. “Hello beautiful,” Raja greeted as she saw Raven’s face pop up on her screen.

“It doesn’t look like you’re working,” Raven replied looking at the screen briefly before dipping her makeup brush in a dark grey eye shadow, slowly running it on her lower lash line.

“Well,” Raja started as she watched Raven do her makeup, “I’m taking a quick break. I’ve been at my desk since 6:30, I needed to stretch.” She said as she watched Raven smoke out her lower lash line. “Make sure you keep a light hand. No one wants to look like they’re related to a raccoon.” Raja commented lightly.

“Thanks babe,” Raven mumbled as she leaned back from the bathroom vanity mirror to look at her handiwork. “Is this okay?” She asked as she picked up her phone so Raja could see her work better. “I wanted to keep it sexy, but not too much.”

There was something about how Raven looked at Raja that made her heart stop. Her lovely Raven with her bright grey eyes rimmed with a dark charcoal grey, winged liner and her “classic” nude lip. “You look beautiful,” Raja said softly watching Raven’s face light up at the praise. “You’re always perfect .”

“Stop it before I tear up and ruin my mascara,” Raven said with a sniff as she felt her cheeks grow hot at Raja’s compliment. “This mascara isn’t waterproof.”

“Fine.” Raja sighed with a small smile, “I don’t want you beautiful face to be destroyed by my Dior Show mascara which I know you’re using right now.”

Raven couldn’t help but giggle at her fiancée’s expression. Raja was so cute when she wanted to be. “Thank you my love, but for once  I’m not a criminal! I got some new makeup from Alaska that I’m trying out.”

“Do you like the new formula?” Raja asked as she watched Raven apply another coat of mascara to her lashes before picking her phone up again and waking out the room. “I haven’t tried it yet, but Alaska told me it’s supposed to be revolutionary.”

"I really like it!” Raven chirped, batting her lashes at Raja causing her to laugh at her playfulness. “I asked Alaska if I could get about 500 of them.“ Raven got up, now finished with her makeup and ready to get dressed.

"Awesome, the makeup team has worked hard to get it just right.” Raja said as she watched Raven prop her phone on her vanity she kept in the room so she could still be seen as she moved around. "Are you going to put them in the gift bags for the wedding?”

“I am!” Raven replied as she darted between her summer shoe shelf and her sweater rack. “When I told Alaska about it, she looked at me as if I lost my mind. I think she thought they were for personal use…” She said with a laugh.

“I can imagine,” Raja said as she continued to watch Raven pull pieces from shelves, stacking them neatly on the small loveseat in the corner. “I was looking over the contracts from potential hotels this morning on my way to the office, and I’ve narrowed it down to 3.”

“Oh thank God,” Raven sighed heavily. “You know I can’t have too many options or I’ll get flustered.” She said as she chewed on the inside of her lip.

“I have Essex House, the Baccarat Hotel and the Park Hyatt. I know you want to stay on the island, so there’re all in midtown Manhattan.” Raja ran off. “Do you want to have the final decision, or do you want me to pick? I’m thinking we should just rent whatever hotel we pick, since all 3 have less than 120 suites.”

“I don’t know, Ra,” Raven whined, covering her face with her dressing robe, revealing she only had on a pair of lacy white panties underneath. “Can you pick the venue? Please?”

“Okay. I’ll sign the contracts and fix everything. Don’t worry.”

“Thank you, my love,” Raven said with a relieved smile as she picked her phone up again to look closer at Raja who was still laid out on the couch. “Do you still want me to send BiBi an invitation to the wedding?”

Raja paused for a moment before responding to Raven’s question. She was still mildly annoyed with Bianca, but Raja knew in her heart of hearts that she wouldn’t be able to function on her wedding day without one of her dearest friends there. “Send Bianca an invitation, and don’t forget to put Courtney on it too.” She said easily.

Raven wrinkled her brow at the mention of Courtney’s name, “Do I have to?”

“Well, you don’t have to.” Raja started as she turned on her side to face the large open window. “But it would please me greatly if you did.” She said with a soft smile as she watched Raven’s resolve crumble and her brow to become less furrowed.

“Only for you, baby.” Raven answered with a sigh. “I’ll seat her at table 23 then.”

“Raven,” Raja started sternly, “You and I both know that isn’t going to work. You will put her at table 3 with the rest of our friends, and that’s final. Treat her like you would Violet, or there’ll be trouble.”

Raven whimpered at Raja’s low yet stern tone. “Have I ever told you how much it turns me on when you use that tone of voice?”

“I know.” Raja replied with a smirk. “I have to hang up. I have a meeting in a few minutes.” The older woman said as she sat up on the couch.

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”

***

“So do you think we should have mini hotdog sliders or mini burgers for appetizers?”

“Does it matter?” Pearl shot a police officer right in the head. Her and Trixie were playing grand theft auto, Katya sitting on the couch next to them, knitting away on a little hat for Avocado, since he would be born in late July.

“Of course it matters!” Trixie threw his arms in the air, nearly spilling the milkshake he was sipping on. “It’s /food/, Pearl, it’s the first meal we’ll have as a married couple with the people we love, also take a left.”

Pearl did a sharp turn, barely avoiding destroying the car she was driving around in.

“What about mini pizzas instead?” Katya looked up from her knitting, a small smile on her face. “Uh, or calzones! Nobody hates calzones.”

“Everybody hates calzones.”

“Shut up Pearl, my wife is a genius and we’re totally having calzones!” Trixie kissed Katya, not seeing Pearl’s smile and the roll of her eyes. “It’ll be awesome.”

***

Grace’s christening was a lovely Sunday morning, warm and sunny, and though many of the attendees would have rather been outside than in a church, they all made the most of it. Afterwards, the friends and family took the short, leisurely stroll from the church to the Sandersons’ townhouse for a party. Juju’s sister and Detox’s two brothers scrambled ahead with Karl to set up.

Bianca and Courtney walked beside Adore, fingers laced together. While Courtney and Adore laughed about Morgan’s latest romantic disaster, Bianca gazed at her girlfriend. She’d been watching her all during the service. Which made sense - she was a much better sight than the shriveled old priest. To say that Bianca was not big on religion would have been a huge understatement. Her mother had forced it down her throat all throughout her childhood, and at a certain point during her teenage years, she’d decided the whole thing was a bunch of crap. And the older she got, and the more she learned about church history, the more adamantly she was against it.

But then there was Courtney, and her sweet, slightly naive appreciation for anything “spiritual,” having been raised by open-minded hippies. She’d watched the whole service with rapt attention, eyes bright, one stray lock of hair brushing against her cheek, which Bianca glanced at repeatedly until she couldn’t help it anymore and reached over to tuck it behind her ear, fingers lingering on her soft skin.

“She did NOT run out like that!” Adore was doubled over laughing.

“She swears! She said she left her bra, her other shoe, and her jacket and just like FLED.”

“All because he said that republicans and democrats are the same?”

“She was pissed!” Courtney exclaimed. She looked over at Bianca. When their eyes met, Courtney’s expression melted into a coy smile and Bianca flashed her dimples, squeezing her hand.

Bianca cleared her throat, “Uh, Adore, go ahead without us, we’ll catch up.”

“What are you-” Adore began as Bianca thrust a present into her hands.

“Go.” Bianca’s voice was firm but her eyes were soft, gazing at Courtney.

Adore rolled her eyes and continued to walk, grumbling to herself. She spotted Detox pushing the twins’ double stroller and called out to him.

Courtney’s head was tilted and she bit her lip. Bianca pulled her silently into an alley - one that she recognized, where they would be tucked away, just barely out of sight from the sidewalk.

She pressed Courtney against the brownstone wall, kissing her fiercely, as Courtney’s hands wound around her neck. She slid a hand up her thigh, cupping her ass, noting her usual lack of underwear under her demure circle skirt.

One of Courtney’s legs was already wrapping around Bianca’s waist as she arched forward, a soft, breathy sigh escaping her lips as Bianca’s skillful fingers found her, stroking her lightly, slowly, as if they had all the time in the world.

Bianca kissed her again, sucking on her bottom lip and nibbling down her jaw to her neck, inhaling the scent of her hair. She pulled back for a moment, searching her green eyes, which were misty and hooded with lust. Bianca brushed their lips together again, moving her fingers gently, patiently, until Courtney was wet and trembling and gasping, dropping her handbag to the ground.

Kneeling down, Bianca slung one of Courtney’s long, tanned legs over her shoulder. She pressed her hips against the building with both hands, mouth working up her inner thigh and then breathing in when her tongue reached her engorged clit, licking softly, not caring that Courtney’s fingers, tangled in her hair, were destroying her carefully arranged updo. The only thing on Bianca’s mind was the taste of her, making her quiver and moan.

Courtney arched against her again and again, gripping her hair in her fists, moans getting louder and louder as she fell to pieces.

Bianca hummed against her and she could feel her body begin to spasm and writhe. She threw her head back, banging it against the wall, legs turning to jelly. Bianca held her up, gripping her hips, sucking hard on her clit while she writhed violently against her mouth.

She tasted so good, Bianca couldn’t get enough of her. In those moments, they existed only for each other, ecstasy flooding their veins. Nothing else mattered. As Courtney’s grip loosened, she nearly pitched forward. Bianca quickly rose to her feet and held her in her arms, kissing her flushed cheeks, her forehead, and finally her lips, stroking her hair.

Courtney clung to her waist, panting and leaning against her, feeling warm and safe and still happily tingling all over.

*

Kelly had cleverly avoided kitchen duty by sitting on the sofa with her beloved grandmother, Juju’s mom, Jia-a, who she adored for many reasons, not the least of which was her tendency to “forget” people’s names, and instead refer to them by nicknames filled with lowkey shade.

“Is Angry Lesbian coming with her Messy Sister?” Grandma asked.

Kelly giggled. “Yes, they’re coming. Adore is over by the kids, and Bianca is…They must have stopped somewhere. I saw them at the church.”

When Raja and Raven burst through the door, Grandma rolled her eyes slightly at Kelly. “Tall Noisy Girls are here. Who’s the Scared Pale Face?”

“That…I think that’s Violet, Sutan’s girlfriend. Yeah.”

“Oh, that’s nice. Not Gay Gay Boy has a girlfriend.”

“Yup! The first one I’ve ever met.”

“I see Fancy Boy helping today. Did he hit head?”

“Ha! No, I think mom threatened him with bodily harm if he didn’t pitch in.” Karl was indeed being helpful, but at the same time he was dramatically wiping his brow and acting like slicing a fritatta was the hardest job in the world. Kelly laughed to herself, since she would have done the same thing.

“Where’s Gold Hair and Mr. Lawyer?”

“Right over there giving Raja a hug,” she said, “Oh, there’s Bianca! And the blonde girl is her girlfriend.” As Bianca and Courtney entered the house, Kelly waved to Courtney, who came floating over.

“Angry Lesbian has a Child Bride? Okay.”

Kelly burst out laughing. “She’s not THAT young.” Kelly looked up at Courtney, who had flushed skin and a familiar, glazed expression in her eyes. “Hi!”

“Heyyy…”

Oh yeah. She’d just gotten good and fucked. Kelly suppressed a giggle. “You alright?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

Courtney’s cheeks darkened from Kelly’s knowing look. She bent down to give her a hug. “Uh, yeah, I’m…yeah. How are you doing?”

“I’m pretty good. It’s nice to have a break from studying for my AP Tests. I love your bag!”

“Thanks,” she said, smiling, and then looked at Grandma. “Hi, I’m Courtney.”

“This is my grandmother, Ji-a.”

“How old you?” the older woman asked.

“I’m 22?” Courtney rubbed the back of her head, wincing slightly.

“Mmm.” She sat back smugly, giving Kelly a pointed look.

“So, what’s going on with the…” Kelly began, then saw Courtney’s unfocused eyes wander to where her mother sat with Raven, Grace in her lap. She remembered how enchanted Courtney had been with her newest sibling and chuckled. “You can go see the baby.”

“No, I don’t wanna be weird and hover or anything.” She bounced nervously on the balls of her feet.

Kelly waved her hand. “It’s cool, my mom would love a break, I’m sure. We can talk later.”

“Okay!” Courtney grinned again and then turned towards Juju excitedly.

*

“Ugh, this bitch,“ Raven muttered to Juju when she saw Courtney headed for them.

“Oh, stop it. I think she’s sweet.” Juju shifted Grace in her arms.

“Oh, yeah, sweet, sure. And a simple-minded airhead, totally Bianca’s type. You probably don’t need to learn her name,” Raven sniffed, giving Courtney a dismissive smile as she approached.

“Hi! Sorry, I’m…you can totally say no, but…is it okay if I hold Grace again?”

“Sure,” Juju patted the cushion beside her and handed the baby over. “Have fun! Her curfew is 10 pm.”

Courtney laughed and cuddled Grace close to her. “Hi! Hello my wittle cream puff! Hello!”

Raven rolled her eyes and Juju pressed her lips together to hold in her laughter.

*

Sutan handed a glass of wine to Violet and then poured one for himself. “Let’s go say hi to Karl!” he said, smiling down at her.

Violet cringed imperceptibly. He’d been talking about Karl all day, how excited he was for her to get to know one of his oldest friends, how funny Karl was, how Violet would have a ton of things in common with him because he’s so knowledgeable about fashion. He was selling Karl AWFULLY hard and it put Violet’s nerves on edge. But…it was obviously very important to him that Violet become friends with this guy. In fact, if she thought about it more deeply, it was even a little sweet. Violet put on her brightest smile and slipped her arm beneath Sutan’s. “Sure,” she said.

“Karl! Hey man! Dude, put the kebabs down for a second and come say hi!”

Karl turned around, a wicked smirk on his face, and strolled over. “Why so needy, girl? Are like in love with me or something?”

Sutan laughed. “No, assface, but since you’re never in town anymore, I want you to meet the girl I AM in love with.”

“We did meet already, at the Christmas party…” Violet began.

“Right, right, I know, but like really get to KNOW each other.” Sutan tightened his arm around Violet’s waist and rested a chin on her head.

“You’re being very extra today. Did you take an adderall this morning?” Karl raised a perfectly manicured eyebrow.

“Ha ha, very funny! No, man, I just want you guys to be friends. Sue me!”

Karl took Violet’s hand and gently pried her away from her anxious boyfriend. “Come here, hon. Let’s go talk over there, away from your crazy-eyed boyfriend.”

Violet giggled nervously, glancing back at Sutan, who was indeed grinning like a maniac. “Okay.”

“So, Sutan says that you’re working in design. Do you think you’d ever get to London for Fashion Week?”

Sutan smiled, watching them walk away, and then caught Raja’s eye from across the room. She made a vehement “WATCH THEM” hand motion. Sutan clicked some finger guns and scampered off to listen in as his sister rolled her eyes, turning back to Fame.

*

“Alright, well if you’re gonna talk about work, I’m gonna go get a beer,” Patrick teased, leaving his wife with Raja to talk shop.

Fame nodded, and continued, “I think it’s beautiful! What don’t you like about it?”

“It’s just so JUNIOR.” Raja looked up and spotted Bianca, waving her over. “Bibi, come look at this for a second…Would you wear this?”

Bianca looked at the picture on Fame’s phone. “No. But…Adore might?”

Raja crossed her arms smugly. “See? I told you. Junior.”

“Maybe we should have a junior line?” Fame mused. “You know who would be good at that? Betty.”

“The psycho who pushed Violet down the stairs?” Bianca asked, raising her eyebrows.

Fame sighed. “Okay, it wasn’t the stairs, and…yes. Her.”

“Hmm. Seems reasonable to put her in charge of a department.”

Raja snickered. “Listen, I hate that crazy bitch too, but she’s a pretty good designer.”

“Really good. Consistently good,” Fame added.

“Talent trumps psychosis?” Bianca asked.

“Basically. I mean how else would you have advanced?” Raja took a sip of her wine and winked.

“Fuck you, I’m neurotic at best. I’m not the one who used to get high and fight bitches in the street.”

“Whatever, you loved it,” Raja said, punching Bianca in the shoulder.

Fame squealed and wrapped her arms around both of them. “I’m so thrilled that you guys are friends again!”

*

Courtney wandered around the living room, rocking Grace, a huge, dreamy smile on her face.

“Uh oh,” Juju commented to Raven and Violet, who had joined them on the sofa. “Looks like Bianca’s new boo has baby fever.” She laughed. “Does she know that Bianca can barely commit to a stick of gum?”

Raven cackled, “Listen, she should enjoy all this while it lasts. It won’t be long.”

She and Juju snickered, and Violet joined in half-heartedly. Did they have nothing else to talk about? It seemed like she couldn’t escape from Courtney, or people talking about Courtney, or Courtney’s stupid little heart-shaped face.

“Well, at least when B dumps her ass, she can sell off those handbags and shoes and cover her rent for a while,” Raven proclaimed.

Juju laughed. “Not nice, Rave.”

Violet saw her opening. “Yeah Rave, you’re better than that.”

Raven considered this. “Am I though?”

“She’s really not,” Juju quipped.

“I’m really not.”

Violet sighed. “I just don’t want any trouble.”

Raven pursed her lips. “Yeah, well, I still think you should tell Su-”

“No. I’m not becoming a problem.” Violet shook her head, adamant.

Raven shrugged. “Okay, suit yourself. Be miserable.”

“I’m not miserable,” Violet protested, holding Frida more tightly. The dog squealed and she loosened her grip.

“Sorry, darling. I’m sorry.” Raven leaned over and kissed her on the cheek.

*

“Hey man!” Patrick approached Detox and Sutan, thumping Detox on the back.

“Hey,” Detox said.

“So…you made another baby. Uh…good going.”

“You alright there, champ?”

“Yeah dude, I’m fine. You?”

Sutan laughed. “I love it when you two bro out.”

“He’s so uncomfortable with human emotions,” Detox laughed, “Pat, we’re not your boyz in finance. It’s okay to talk about how pretty her christening gown is.”

Patrick laughed. “It is pretty cute.”

“So…when are you gonna make one?”

Sutan snickered. “Dude, you sound like his mom.”

“I’m serious! You guys are so good with all the kids. What are you waiting for?”

Patrick looked thoughtful. “I dunno. I don’t think we’re gonna…I mean we talked about it, years ago. We decided to focus on the careers and it just…never came up again. We love being aunt and uncle to your kids, and my brother’s kids, and I think she’s pretty happy with the dog, and the business…”

“And her other little pets? The ones B calls her ‘harem’?”

“Yeah, them too,” Patrick laughed.

After a pause, Sutan asked, “So…did you guys catch the…sports…game…yeah, I can’t do this.”

Detox and Patrick both burst out laughing.

“Hey, at least Karl makes me look butch,” Sutan defended, gesturing to Karl talking to Raven and Jujubee with huge, animated hand gestures.

“You know what’s not butch?” Detox asked. “Using the word butch.”

“Well, fuck.” Sutan grinned sheepishly.

*

Adore sprawled on the floor with Julia, Owen, and three of their cousins, helping them build a massive lego structure.

Violet strolled past with Frida and Julia’s eyes lit up. “Doggy!!” she cried, clapping her hands and reaching out.

“Hey Vi,” Adore said. “Is he friendly?”

“Yeah, she’s friendly.” Violet approached the kids, allowing Julia to pet Frida, whose little tail wagged excitedly.

“Be gentle,” Adore warned. “That’s a little puppy.”

Two other kids scooted over to pet Frida as well. Violet crouched down to make sure she didn’t get too overwhelmed.

Adore picked up a few legos and added them to the tower she was making. “Is this high enough, sir?” she asked Owen, the head engineer.

“Higher!”

“Aye aye, captain.” Adore searched through the bin for some appropriately sized pieces.

Violet cleared her throat, scratching Frida behind the ears, feeding her a treat for being so calm with the kids. “Hey… So, I was thinking about… You know, you and Pearl…”

“Are you gonna defend her or something? Cause I-”

“No! No, it was really shitty of her treat you like that, and I’m sorry it happened. It really sucked.”

“… Thanks?”

“I just… I’m sorry, no one deserves that.”

Julia tugged on Adore’s hand, distracting her, Violet already gone when she looked up again.

“Auntie Adore, you like my building?”

“Yeah, looks great, muffin!” Adore tickled her.

*

Fame linked her arm with Raja and exclaimed, “Oh my gosh! You know what we should do?”

“Group sex?” Raja offered.

“Sterilization?” Bianca asked.

“No!” Fame giggled. “We should do a family trip to the farm later this month! Oh, it’ll be great! We just finished the addition so now we totally have enough space. The cherry blossom trees with be blooming and the garden is amazing this year, and the CHICKENS WILL HAVE HATCHED and it’ll be so much fun!”

“Settle down, bitch.”

Fame hung on Bianca’s arm, batting her eyelashes. “Pleeeeeease, please B!”

“Yeah, it wouldn’t be the same without your bitter, borscht belt charm,” Raja added.

“I mean, I’ll come, I just need you to take it down a notch. And stock up on vodka.”

Fame clapped her hands excitedly. “We can have a GAME NIGHT!”

“You are just a giant fucking dork, aren’t you?” Bianca asked.

“Yeah…you didn’t know that already?” Fame simpered.


End file.
